Climate ChangePathways2Resilience: Resilient Sarajevo
Overview
From recurrent flooding and increasingly intense rainfall to extreme heat and pressure on water resources, Sarajevo faces climate risks affecting its people, infrastructure, public spaces and essential services. The Miljacka River corridor is a particular focus: it runs through all four city municipalities and brings together many of the city’s climate, water-management and urban resilience challenges.
Through the Pathways2Resilience programme, the City of Sarajevo is working to connect climate evidence, existing plans and institutional responsibilities into a more coordinated approach to adaptation. The process will inform a Climate Resilience Strategy, Action Plan and Investment Plan.
SmartUp supports the City of Sarajevo together with Korimako and the Hydro Engineering Institute Sarajevo. SmartUp and Korimako provide methodological and planning support, while the Hydro Engineering Institute contributes technical expertise in water management, climate adaptation and participatory governance.
The challenge
Addressing interconnected climate risks
Extreme precipitation and flooding, extreme heat and drought are priority climate risks for Sarajevo. Flooding is a particularly recurrent challenge, affecting settlements, infrastructure, watercourses and essential services, while rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns create additional pressures on urban areas and water resources.
Coordinating across institutions
Responsibilities for water management, spatial planning, communal infrastructure, environmental protection and emergency response are shared between the City of Sarajevo, its four municipalities and Sarajevo Canton. Building resilience therefore requires coordination across institutions, sectors and administrative boundaries.
Connecting existing plans with future investment
Sarajevo already has strategies, programmes and projects related to climate action, water management, mobility, green infrastructure and environmental protection. The challenge is to bring these efforts into a more coherent adaptation framework and connect priorities with responsibilities, implementation and financing.
Activities and methods
Working with the City of Sarajevo, Korimako and the Hydro Engineering Institute Sarajevo, SmartUp supports the assessment, participatory planning and capacity building that underpin Sarajevo’s Regional Resilience Journey.
What we do
Our work includes:
- Supporting the Baseline Assessment by helping connect existing plans and evidence on climate risks, institutional capacity, governance, finance and relevant stakeholders.
- Facilitating stakeholder participation through co-creation and working sessions that bring institutions and other stakeholders together to discuss climate risks, adaptation needs and priorities.
- Strengthening local capacity through methodological guidance and practical support for applying the Pathways2Resilience approach.
- Supporting coordinated planning by helping connect climate evidence, stakeholder perspectives and existing initiatives with the next stages of strategy, action and investment planning.
- Connecting adaptation with implementation by helping identify where stronger coordination, clearer responsibilities and financing approaches are needed to move from priorities to practical measures.
Wider partnership
The City of Sarajevo leads the Pathways2Resilience process. SmartUp and Korimako provide methodological and planning support, while the Hydro Engineering Institute Sarajevo contributes technical expertise in water management, climate adaptation and participatory governance.
Impact and learning
The project aims to help Sarajevo bring its existing climate priorities into a coordinated framework for adaptation, supported by three planning documents:
Climate Resilience Strategy
Establishes a shared direction for addressing priority climate risks, including flooding and extreme precipitation, extreme heat and drought, with the Miljacka River corridor serving as an important focus for integrated resilience planning.
Climate Resilience Action Plan
Translates strategic priorities into practical adaptation measures, with clearer responsibilities, implementation steps and coordination across relevant institutions and sectors.
Climate Resilience Investment Plan
Connects priority adaptation measures with potential investments and financing approaches, helping the City identify how projects can move towards implementation.
Beyond the three plans, the process aims to strengthen cooperation between the City, municipalities, Canton and other stakeholders, improve capacity for climate-resilient planning and help Sarajevo move from separate initiatives towards a more coordinated approach to adaptation and investment.
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Planning similar work?
SmartUp can support research, co-creation, facilitation, digital tools, implementation, or learning documentation for related programmes.