Comparative study of global urban resilience frameworks and presentation of a context-based framework of resilience indicators for Iran

Abstract

​ Urban resilience has emerged as a fundamental concept in urban planning and management, aiming to increase the capacity of cities to anticipate, resist, adapt to, and recover from natural and human-induced hazards. Although several global resilience frameworks have been developed, their direct application across countries remains challenging due to differences in institutional, socio-economic, environmental, and spatial conditions. This study aimed to conduct a comparative study of global urban resilience frameworks and identify context-based resilience indicators appropriate for Iran. This applied research adopted a mixed-method approach. In the qualitative phase, urban resilience indicators were extracted from global resilience frameworks and scientific literature through directional content analysis and coded using MAXQDA software. In the quantitative phase, the extracted indicators were assessed by urban planning, urban resilience and crisis management experts and the data were analyzed using Cronbach’s, Friedman’s and Wilcoxon’s alpha tests in SPSS software. The findings identified ten main dimensions of urban resilience: physical, environmental, social, economic, risk management, infrastructure, institutional, governance, effectiveness and policy. The results also showed that physical and environmental resilience have the highest priority for Iran. Furthermore, the statistically significant difference between the perceived importance of global resilience indicators and their suitability for Iranian conditions highlights the need for contextual adaptation. The proposed framework integrates global resilience knowledge with local priorities and provides a context-based basis for assessing urban resilience, resilience-based planning and evidence-based urban policymaking in Iran.