Students and staff

Urban Preparedness for Emerging Risks in the Baltic Sea Region

Project title in Latvian: Pilsētu gatavība jauniem riskiem Baltijas jūras reģionā

Project title in English: Urban Preparedness for Emerging Risks in the Baltic Sea Region

Project leader: Ieva Birka

Implementation period: 01.09.2024. – 28.02.2026.

Funding: 199,999 €

Project team: Lead researchers of the University of Latvia, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (FESS) – Ieva Birka and Didzis Kļaviņš – together with one doctoral student and master’s students.

Project “Urban Preparedness for Emerging Risks in the Baltic Sea Region” is focused on assessing how cities such as Riga, Helsinki, and Hamburg are prepared for emerging risks. The project combines insights from fields such as emergency preparedness, resilience, communication, and state–citizen relations to provide practical recommendations to policymakers on engaging citizens and strengthening institutional readiness in times of crisis.

The study combines multiple academic disciplines – political science, preparedness and resilience studies, as well as communication science. This interdisciplinary approach makes it possible not only to deliver recommendations for policymakers but also to produce scientifically grounded conclusions about the needs and challenges of urban residents, as well as opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the state and society in times of crisis.

The project is one of the activities supported under the Recovery and Resilience Facility project ‘Internal and External Consolidation of the University of Latvia’ (No. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/007).

  1. To provide a deeper understanding of urban preparedness mechanisms in the Baltic Sea region;
  2. To foster cooperation between researchers in Latvia, Finland, and Germany;
  3. To develop policy recommendations that would help cities better prepare for future risks;
  4. To generate new knowledge that is relevant both for the academic community and for policymakers.