Project overview
Developing resilience against extreme weather threats caused by climate change at local level in Central Europe
Extreme weather events are increasing with rising temperatures. They are best tackled in collaboration but the task too often relies on experts alone. The LOCALIENCE project took disaster managers out of their one-directional information and service provider position and connected them in a co-design process with local communities. The partnership developed and tested collaborative disaster response and management solutions and mobilised local communities through mutual learning and networking.
-
2,04m €
-
Project Budget
-
80%
-
of the Budget is funded by ERDF
-
5
-
Countries
-
8
-
Regions
-
11
-
Partners
-
5
-
Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Ministry of Interior
1051 Budapest
Project partner
9700 Szombathely
Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Hydrometry and Institute for Land and Water Management Research
Abteilung 14 Wasserwirtschaft, Ressourcen und Nachhaltigkeit
Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
1000 Ljubljana
Crisis Information Centre
Roadmap
The challenge
Climate change altered the hydrological cycle and increased the frequency and intensity of weather- and water-related hazards across Central Europe. Floods, storms, droughts, wildfires, landslides and heatwaves placed growing pressure on municipalities and local communities, often causing serious economic, environmental and social damage.
The starting point
The project identified that the impacts of extreme weather were intensified not only by the hazards themselves, but also by gaps in preparedness and cooperation. Disaster management information often flowed in one direction, from professional organisations to local actors, while citizens, municipalities, volunteers and civil society organisations had limited opportunities to contribute their knowledge and capacities. Communication channels, responsibilities and cooperation procedures were often fragmented. Local decision-makers did not always receive information in a form that could easily be translated into action, and communities were not consistently involved in preparedness planning.
The LOCALIENCE approach
LOCALIENCE brought together disaster management, water management, fire and rescue organisations, public authorities, research institutions, municipalities and civil society actors from five Central European countries. Rather than treating local communities as passive recipients of information, the project involved them in identifying risks, developing solutions, testing tools and evaluating what worked. The partnership combined professional expertise with local knowledge and connected analysis, training, practical experimentation and policy development within one common process.
From shared knowledge to tested solutions
LOCALIENCE first examined how disaster management systems operated in the participating countries and identified where cooperation between professional organisations, municipalities and local communities could be improved. A comprehensive survey compared national frameworks, while a collection of awareness-raising and training practices highlighted approaches that had already strengthened community preparedness. Based on this shared evidence, the partners developed an Extreme Weather Catalogue, a performance appraisal methodology for evaluating local cooperation, policy gap analyses and multilingual training materials on multi-hazard extreme weather events and nature-based solutions. National trainings and a coaching process helped municipalities, emergency services, public authorities, volunteers and civil society actors translate this knowledge into practical cooperation. The project then implemented five pilot actions: - an urban Climate Living Lab in Hungary; - community-based flood management in Austria; - a responsive urban warning system in Slovenia; - an enhanced warning system supporting municipal decision-makers in Czechia; - decision-making simulation games for disaster preparedness in Poland. Each pilot addressed a specific local challenge but followed common principles: stakeholder involvement, user-centred development, practical testing and two-way communication. The pilots were assessed through peer-review visits involving partners and local stakeholders from all five participating countries. These visits enabled direct observation, external feedback and joint reflection. They helped refine the solutions, identify transferable elements and strengthen cooperation and mutual trust across borders.
What changed through LOCALIENCE
The project moved cooperation beyond one-way information provision towards more interactive and participatory disaster preparedness. Municipalities, professional organisations and community actors gained a clearer understanding of each other’s roles, needs and capacities. The pilots demonstrated that: - warning information became more useful when it was localised and linked to clear actions; - preparedness improved when institutions and communities trained and planned together; - local knowledge strengthened professional risk-management processes; participatory development increased trust, acceptance and ownership of solutions; - technical tools were most effective when supported by clear responsibilities, trained users and established cooperation procedures. LOCALIENCE therefore showed that local resilience depended not only on better technology, but also on communication, human capacities, governance and community involvement.
Results available for others
LOCALIENCE delivered a set of practical results that can support municipalities, disaster management organisations, emergency services, public authorities, civil society and researchers in strengthening local resilience: - A comparative survey of disaster management systems presented how preparedness, responsibilities and cooperation were organised in the five participating countries. It provided useful reference information for public authorities, professional organisations and researchers interested in different disaster management frameworks. - The Extreme Weather Catalogue brought together information on relevant weather-related hazards, their local impacts and the resources and measures available to address them. It supported municipalities and professional organisations in risk assessment, preparedness and local planning. - A collection of awareness-raising and training practices presented tested approaches for engaging communities and improving disaster preparedness. It offered practical inspiration for municipalities, emergency services, NGOs and volunteer organisations. - The performance appraisal methodology provided indicators for assessing cooperation between professional disaster management organisations and local public and civil actors. Municipalities, regional authorities and emergency services could use it to identify strengths and areas requiring improvement. - Policy gap analyses identified institutional, administrative and governance barriers affecting local resilience in the participating countries. Their findings were particularly relevant for local, regional and national decision-makers responsible for climate adaptation and disaster risk management. - Multilingual training materials on multi-hazard events and nature-based solutions supported the development of practical knowledge among municipal representatives, disaster management professionals, fire brigades, volunteers, NGOs and other local stakeholders. - The coaching methodology showed how trained facilitators could help municipalities and disaster management actors discuss local risks, clarify responsibilities and translate training knowledge into joint action. - Five pilot solutions demonstrated different ways of improving local resilience: a Climate Living Lab, community-based flood management, localised urban warnings, decision support for mayors and simulation-based disaster preparedness training. The pilots provided tested examples that could be adapted to different hazards, governance systems and local capacities. - Peer-review and transfer approaches demonstrated how direct observation, external feedback and structured exchange could improve solutions and support their adaptation in other regions. The LOCALIENCE Handbook on Local Resilience Against Extreme Weather Threats brought the tested pilot solutions, practical tools, training resources, implementation experiences and transferable lessons together in an online knowledge repository. It helped potential users understand how the solutions worked, what conditions were required and how they could be adapted to different local circumstances. The multi-level governance White Paper complemented the practical solutions by translating the project’s findings and policy gap analyses into recommendations for local, regional and national decision-makers. It addressed communication, responsibilities, community participation and cooperation across governance levels.
Lasting cooperation and key lesson
The main lesson of LOCALIENCE was that resilient communities could not be created through isolated technical solutions. Resilience was strengthened when professional expertise, local knowledge, practical training, inclusive governance and sustained cooperation were brought together. Although hazards and institutional systems differed across countries, the challenges of communication, local capacity and coordination were widely shared—and the methods tested by LOCALIENCE offered practical ways to address them.
News
Events
No events found
Pilot actions
Outputs
Multi-level governance policy White Paper including comparative and transferability analysis of local policy solutions, multi-level policy improvement recommendations
LOCALIENCE Handbook on Local Resilience Against Extreme Weather Threats
Transnational roadmap on cooperation and transfer activities beyond the project
Project videos
Project documents
Project infographics
Completed deliverables in the LOCALIENCE project
Project images
LOCALIENCE
The project lead partner is responsible for the content of this project website.