Cēsis, Latvia – April 2025

Crisis Lab, a subsidiary of Capacity Building International (CBI), participated in a national event focused on advancing municipal resilience strategies in Latvia. Held on April 23 and 24 in the city of Cēsis, the workshop titled “Bouncing Forward: Designing SUD Strategies for Resilience” brought together more than 100 urban planners, government officials, and policy professionals.

Organized by the European Urban Initiative (EUI), the event supported Latvian cities in developing practical approaches to Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) that incorporate risk planning, climate adaptation, and civil protection.

Crisis Lab played a leading role in both the opening presentation and the evaluation of a simulation exercise, offering tools and guidance to help municipalities move from planning to readiness.

Bridging Planning and Preparedness

Latvian municipalities face growing challenges related to climate threats and infrastructure risks. This workshop encouraged a shift toward strategies that integrate resilience directly into city planning processes.

Representing Crisis Lab, Managing Director Kyle King delivered the keynote address. He outlined core principles of multi-risk urban planning, emphasizing cross-sector coordination, dual-use infrastructure, and community communication as foundational to effective resilience.

His presentation laid the groundwork for in-depth sessions that followed and helped frame the event’s practical focus.

From Concept to Application

On the second day, Crisis Lab evaluated a simulation scenario called Cascade Blackout. The exercise imagined a city-wide power failure affecting both urban and rural areas. Crisis Lab guided participants through structured feedback to help identify decision-making challenges, coordination gaps, and communication needs under pressure.

The simulation offered city leaders a chance to practice responses in a controlled setting, reinforcing the value of hands-on learning for local risk planning.

Navigating Complex Contexts

Two challenges surfaced during the event and were addressed in real time.

First, many participants came from planning departments rather than emergency management backgrounds. The simulation was tailored to support collaborative, strategic thinking without requiring technical expertise.

Second, the multilingual environment required adaptable facilitation. To ensure full engagement from both Latvian and English-speaking participants, Crisis Lab employed clear visual tools and plain-language materials.

Connecting Local Strategy to EU Goals

The event aligns with Latvia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan and reflects the broader goals of the European Urban Initiative, which supports innovation and capacity-building in urban development across the EU.

Crisis Lab’s involvement underscored how applied exercises and targeted technical guidance can help cities translate EU-level strategies into effective local actions.

For more information about Crisis Lab’s work or to explore collaboration, please contact [email protected] or visit www.crisislab.io.