As urbanization accelerates and the climate crisis intensifies, cities worldwide face a growing threat beneath their foundations: sinking cities or urban land subsidence.
Driven by excessive groundwater extraction, rapid development and insufficient planning, land subsidence compounds flood risks, infrastructure damage and social disruption – threatening an estimated two billion people globally.
Resilient Economies: Strategies for Sinking Cities and Flood Risks, written by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Deloitte, explores how cities, from Tokyo to Jakarta, are responding through integrated policies, nature-based infrastructure and systems-level governance. The report outlines practical pathways for governments and businesses to transition from reactive crisis management to proactive resilience-building – valuing land and water as strategic assets, strengthening governance and leadership, investing in resilient infrastructure and empowering communities.
Addressing subsidence now is essential to secure the prosperity and liveability of the world’s cities in an era of accelerating climate risk.