Many diverse scientific approaches, concepts and political programs have been issued to make cities stronger, less vulnerable and more reactive towards socio-economic requirements regarding the challenging issues. The most important and relevant concepts today are presented in the article. The concepts encompass the individual level of the citizens, the level of living standards or environmental issues and the broader aspects of economic challenges as well as strategies in regard of diverse crises.
Living conditions in modern European societies are more and more characterized by essential changes due to the recent (economic) crisis. Economic uncertainty, job migration and social exclusion are just some of the challenges individuals have to face. This leads to an increasing lack of confidence, trust and solidarity among European citizens and at the same time highlights the urgency of supporting European cities to become more resilient and sustainable in order to cope with economic and social crises. Hence, social protection and inclusion policies are undergoing continuous reform in the light of financial pressures and governance changes. However, while some cities are financially prospering, others have to face deep depression and a decline of citizens’ quality of life. After portraying a series of city-models, a certain concept will be presented, which tries to discover these local differences through which the resilience of a city can be raised.
Keywords: resilient cities, healthy cities, competitive cities, smart cities, cities of learning, cohesive cities, assessing city resilience
