As the culminating project of the 2024/25 Master’s course in Urban Resilience for Sustainability Transitions at UIC Barcelona, this year’s implementation workshop took the form of an ambitious collaborative challenge: to design a set of actionable guidelines for equitable and climate-resilient urban development, rooted in the realities of Granollers — a medium-sized city north of Barcelona — and shaped by the students’ collective learning throughout the year. Over five intensive weeks, participants engaged in site visits, document analysis, simulation testing, and policy design to respond to the complex planning needs of Granollers’ upcoming developments, particularly the future neighbourhood of La Bòbila.
Rather than focusing solely on physical interventions, the resulting document offers a holistic framework that links spatial justice, carbon neutrality, and climate adaptation. Drawing from the city’s Urban Development Plan (POUM), Strategic Plan 2030, Urban Green Plan, and Energy Efficiency Plan, the students conducted an in-depth evaluation of current municipal efforts and identified key gaps — such as the lack of decentralised infrastructure, inclusive housing, and climate-oriented governance mechanisms. The guidelines they propose move beyond technical recommendations to rethink how cities define value, participation, and long-term resilience.
A central feature of the process was its collaborative nature. Students from the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (UNINA), part of the UCCRN_edu program, joined the UIC team to develop climate hazard analyses and simulation models. These included spatial and morphological assessments of the La Bòbila district, applying tools such as TSPA’s City Design Tool and AQUATEC’s RESCCUE model to test drainage, exposure, and urban form. These insights helped students visualize not only what resilient neighbourhoods could look like, but how they might function under future scenarios.
The result is a dynamic and interdisciplinary policy guide structured around seven core themes — from regenerative green infrastructure and water self-sufficiency to governance innovation and thriving communities. Each guideline is supported by specific actions, co-benefit mapping, and application examples. Importantly, the methodology behind the document is as significant as the content: an iterative, collaborative, and site-informed approach that can serve as a blueprint for other cities engaged in similar transitions.
By anchoring the work in Granollers while embracing a broader planetary consciousness, the students reframe urban resilience as both a local responsibility and a shared opportunity. Their call is clear: resilience must be built not only through infrastructure and metrics, but through care, collaboration, and long-term vision. This project invites municipalities, practitioners, and citizens to rethink how we build — and for whom — as we confront a rapidly changing climate and social landscape.
🔗 You can access the full guidelines here: GUIDELINES FOR CLIMATE RESILIENT AND EQUITABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENTS. BY MASTER URBAN RESILIENCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS_compressed
📸 Image credits: All diagrams and visualizations are part of the students’ report “Guidelines for Climate Resilient and Equitable Urban Developments” – Cohort 2024/2025