Empower stakeholders and communities Active participation from communities, businesses, governments, research institutions, non-profits and residents is essential. These stakeholders are not merely beneficiaries but active agents of positive change. Engagement should move beyond consultation and empower communities with knowledge, tools and agency to steward their built environments. Miami-Dade County’s Resilience Hub Network, which provides climate education and emergency support, exemplifies how direct engagement promotes behavioural shifts and localized resilience. Involving residents and local businesses in strategy development is critical for capturing valuable local knowledge, raising awareness of subsidence risks, and ensuring that mitigation and adaptation efforts are tailored to community needs and economic realities. The private sector plays a pivotal role in advancing subsidence resilience. Businesses, particularly those in high-water-use industries, such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing and energy and those driving urban expansion, can co-finance resilience projects, innovate and design solutions that can reduce pressure on land and water aquifers. By understanding the feedback loops between their operations, subsidence rates and asset vulnerability, the private sector can proactively manage risks across their value chains. Effective governance should facilitate these collaborations and support capacity-building initiatives that transform resilience from a technical goal into a shared economic, environmental and social commitment.Technology, data and research Technology and data are foundational enablers of urban resilience to land subsidence. Advanced monitoring tools, such as InSAR, can provide large- scale data on land movement and groundwater levels, supporting accurate risk assessments, targeted interventions and verification of impact. Accurate risk projections must also account for spatial variations in subsidence.146,147 Beyond monitoring, technology, innovation, continued research (including R&D) and learnings can drive the evolution of intelligent urban systems. Machine learning/AI-powered predictive models can optimize water resource distribution, drainage management and infrastructure maintenance, while digital twins can simulate subsidence impacts and support future-proof urban planning. Research into resilient building materials and construction techniques can help enhance infrastructure longevity in subsidence-vulnerable areas. Digital platforms can enable rapid scaling of solutions and knowledge exchange among cities and stakeholders. Building networks and ecosystems through partnerships can accelerate the development and deployment of proven solutions for land subsidence and compounding factors. A collaborative and data-driven approach can help quantify previously under-recognized risks, impact levels and costs, guide investments, optimize resource allocations, enable timely alerts, and ensure urban planning remains agile and responsive to growing and emerging risks. Machine learning/ AI-powered predictive models can optimize water resource distribution, drainage management and infrastructure maintenance. Resilient Economies: Strategies for Sinking Cities and Flood Risks 35

Resilient Economies Strategies for Sinking Cities and Flood Risks 2025