
The BCRUPD Project
Building Climate Resiliency through Urban Plans and Design (BCRUPD) is a capacity building project funded by the German government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), was implemented by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Climate Change Commission (CCC), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
In support of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) and the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (I/NDC), the project worked to enhance national and subnational government capacities to guide and manage urban growth and green recovery with resilience principles and practices.
The project supplemented existing planning guidelines and develop knowledge through policy inputs, capacity development, and demonstration activities. Demonstration of innovative approaches in five cities with different ecosystems showcased contextualized processes and schemes to build urban resilience considering balanced economic and ecological sustainability.
Climate Challenges
and the Cities
Level of urbanization grew from 51.2% in 2015 to 54% in 2020
– Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022
Cities generate 70% of global carbon emissions and consume two-thirds of the world’s energy.
– World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization
In the Asia Pacific region, around 742 million urban dwellers are facing high or extreme multiple hazards; this number could reach nearly 1 billion by 2030. Climate change will intensify the urban heat island effect.
– UN-Habitat and UN ESCAP, 2018 (Climate Change and National Urban Policies In Asia And The Pacific)
The Philippines ranks 4th among countries most affected by extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019.
– Global Climate Risk Index, 2021
Key Outputs
From 2017 to 2022, the BCRUPD project worked on seven key outputs that promoted climate resilience through urban plans and designs with national government agencies and local government units.

Urban Planning and Design for Climate Resilience: A Reference Tool for Planning Actors in the Philippines
Through the BCRUPD project, DHSUD was able to develop this Reference Tool that serves as a resource and guidance for the national government, local government units, and other planning actors involved in sustainable development and in crafting and implementing urban plans and designs. It aims to provide information, approaches, and tools to ensure that climate resilience is considered as a fundamental principle of and basis for local plans and designs.
Sharing Knowledge
From our partners



Key Lessons
Concrete proof and cases of climate resilient urban plans and designs from the cities will support national government guides, plans, policies, and frameworks. This is shown in the case of formulating the Resilient and Green Human Settlements Framework, Reference Tool on UPD for Climate Resilience, and other policies formed with DHSUD. Local initiatives of BCRUPD with its partners cities contribute to shaping the structure and evidence for these national policies and tools.
Capacity development of institutions and local government units can accelerate the policy work for climate resilience through urban plans and designs. This is also demonstrated in the various efforts to co-develop training and capacity building materials for resilient urban planning and design.
Co-designing, participatory approaches, and results-based style of implementation works well with climate projects. Through these approaches, stakeholders and partners form deeper sense of ownership, understanding, and behavioral change in embracing key concepts and applying them to their actual work even after project interventions concluded.
Strong partnership and collaboration with partner agencies and LGUs are needed to effectively implement the project. Effective coordination and communication with stakeholders will facilitate better results in building capacities of cities and national agencies.
As climate science continually evolve, it is necessary that climate projects like BCRUPD adjust and align its approaches with the most recent international policies, agreements, and reports. Doing so will fast-track and develop more effective climate action locally.
Related Stories
Partner with UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat Philippines hopes to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities, provinces, villages and barangays in the Philippines, and welcomes partnerships with government, international agencies, civil society organisations and the private sector.