Heatwaves, floods and other climate extremes are exposing the limits of Europe’s ageing buildings and infrastructure. Researchers across the continent are exploring how cities can adapt to a changing climate. Climate change is forcing many European cities to rethink how they are designed and managed. Infrastructure built for the weather conditions of the past is increasingly being tested by heavier rainfall, hotter summers and more frequent extreme weather. According to a recent global survey, over 80% of cities report facing significant climate hazards. For Dr Clemente Fuggini, an Italian engineer whose research focuses on the resilience of cities and critical infrastructure, cities and their communities urgently need to work together to face the challenges of a changing climate. “Resilience relies on an intricate interplay between individuals, communities, institutions and infrastructures,” he said. “In practice, that means understanding not only how buildings respond to climate hazards, but how transport, utilities, public services and the people who rely on them can continue to operate when disruption occurs.” Fuggini is coordinating an EU-funded research initiative, MULTICLIMACT (2023–2027), exploring practical ways to help cities understand their vulnerabilities, prepare for multiple climate hazards and decide where adaptation efforts are most needed. No one-size-fits-all solution The MULTICLIMACT team brings together researchers, engineers and local authorities from nine European countries to assess the range of challenges facing European cities. Rather than proposing a one-size-fits-all solution, the researchers are developing flexible methods that cities can adapt to their own geography and infrastructure, and to the specific climate risks that they face. To see how this works in practice, they have set up four pilot sites across Europe, each representing a different climate challenge. “We chose these locations because they embody certain common European complexities and particular climate and environmental living conditions,” Fuggini said. In the Netherlands, the work