Building urban resilience through natural infrastructure

We, at the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Lab, provide evidence on the role of natural infrastructure for urban resilience and climate adaptation in Asia-Pacific.

The NTU campus framed by greenery
Aerial view of a mangrove coastline
Urban green infrastructure threading through a dense city

Research rooted in place Evidence from across the Asia-Pacific, gathered with local partners.

About RICL

Our world has become urban. While this opens up opportunities, it also exacerbates some environmental and social challenges such as flooding, urban heat island, or mental and physical health issues. Conserving and creating natural infrastructure–parks, trees, green roofs, urban forests–can respond to these challenges by leveraging important natural benefits such as retaining water, cooling the air, providing opportunities for recreation, and supporting climate solutions.

The Resilient and Inclusive Cities Lab at Nanyang Technological University's Asian School of the Environment aims to increase the evidence base on the role of natural infrastructure for urban resilience and climate adaptation in Asia-Pacific and inform policy and practice to create more resilient and inclusive cities. The research is supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRFF12-2020-0009).

Funding Partners

Our research is made possible by the foundations, research councils, and agencies that fund work on natural infrastructure and urban resilience across the Asia-Pacific.

  • Asia Climate Fund logo
  • Asian Development Bank logo
  • Coastal Adaptation Initiative logo
  • Green Cities Trust logo
  • Mangrove Restoration Alliance logo
  • Mekong Resilience Fund logo
  • Nature-based Solutions Council logo
  • Singapore National Research Foundation logo
  • Temasek Foundation logo
  • Urban Futures Foundation logo

Supporting Institutions

We work alongside universities, research institutes, and government partners across the region, grounding the lab's evidence in local knowledge and the needs of policy and practice.

  • Bandung Institute of Technology logo
  • Can Tho University logo
  • Centre for Liveable Cities logo
  • Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember logo
  • Mekong Research Centre logo
  • Nanyang Technological University logo
  • National University of Singapore logo
  • Singapore-ETH Centre logo
  • Universitas Indonesia logo
  • Vietnam National University, Hanoi logo