A pathway towards resilient cities: National resilience knowledge networks

The development of networks for resilience-knowledge sharing and support is as a popular solution for building resilience in cities. Despite the benefits of knowledge sharing and collaboration for resilience building between cities on an international scale, there is a gap in the literature and practice regarding such networks at the national level. This research involves a survey of city authorities' perceptions of the benefits of the creation of a national knowledge-sharing network, their criteria for selecting resilience partners, and their preferred mechanisms for knowledge sharing and diffusion within the network. Using New Zealand (NZ) as a case study, the current exploratory sequential study implements an initial qualitative stage with selected NZ cities to determine initial criteria, followed by a nationwide quantitative survey to test these criteria. A final quantitative survey with international subject-matter experts was conducted for international transferability. The study revealed that establishing a national-level resilience-knowledge network requires general and supportive conditions, specific criteria for selecting suitable resilience collaboration-partner cities, and appropriate knowledge-transfer mechanisms. The findings can be used to guide the development of national resilience-knowledge networks and are aimed at local governments, policymakers and analysts, resilience practitioners, and knowledge-network managers.