Resilient Sydney

A program for Greater Sydney to build the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of chronic stresses and acute shocks.

Book cover: A diverse group of people stand together inside a map illustration circle. Text reads "Stronger together. Prepared for the future." and "Resilient Sydney Strategy 2025–2030".

Resilient Sydney Office

: [email protected]

Resilient Sydney is a collaboration of all 33 councils of Greater Sydney to develop and apply a city-wide resilience strategy, first published in 2018.

The program began in 2015 and has been governed by a steering committee of representatives from councils, NSW Government, business and the community sector. Resilient Sydney is a member of the global Resilient Cities Network. It’s funded by local government and hosted by the City of Sydney.

A resilience strategy for Greater Sydney

The Resilient Sydney strategy 2025–2030 is informed by extensive community and key partner feedback involving more than 2,000 people and 200 organisations.

Community engagement included 10 community workshops across Greater Sydney and an online survey with 1,501 responses. Resilient Sydney spoke with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, held 5 youth workshops, and hosted 5 multicultural roundtable discussions.

We identified the shocks and stresses most likely to impact our city. Our assessment analysed how global drivers and national trends shape Greater Sydney.

The Resilient Sydney strategy was funded under the joint Australian Government and NSW Government National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The strategy was published on 29 April 2025.

What is city resilience?

City resilience is the capacity of people, communities, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt and thrive no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.

Acute shocks are sudden events that threaten a city. Examples include heatwaves, floods, disease outbreaks and cyberattacks.

Chronic stresses weaken the fabric of a city on a day-to-day basis. Examples include rising inequity, housing unaffordability, family violence and inadequate public transport.

Taking action to strengthen Greater Sydney’s resilience

The strategy includes 30 actions and 50 case studies across 5 directions:

Care for our environment: a city where we care for the environment and live sustainably
People-centred city: an equitable city with climate resilient neighbourhoods
Connect for strength: an inclusive city that supports social connections and community agency
Be ready: a city where people and organisations are prepared for shock events
One city: a city with coordinated governance that people trust.

A group of people pose indoors in front of a wood-panelled wall; two hold a large poster with drawings and notes.

Several groups of people sit around round tables in a large room, engaged in discussions and working with papers and sticky notes.

Resilient Sydney Office

A small team, led by the chief resilience officer enables the Resilient Sydney strategy. The program works with cities around the world to share best practice and collaborate with council leaders and resilience ambassadors in Sydney.

Actions include a platform to better manage and report Sydney-wide data, policy research and development, and community campaigns about emergency preparedness and social connections. Networks to share knowledge have increased the way we understand our city and work together on resilience.