A capacity building framework for urban resilience: insights from the City Resilience Action Planning (CityRAP) programme

Despite numerous programmes aiming to strengthen resilience in the Global South, few studies assess to which extends they build capacities at the local level and provide long-term impact. This study advances the operationalisation of capacity building for urban resilience in African cities, while contributing to a global debate on resilience practice in the Global South. To achieve this, the study applies an established framework, the Capacity Building Parameters and Enabling Factors Framework for urban resilience, to an in-depth analysis of UN-Habitat’s City Resilience Action Planning (CityRAP) programme in Lilongwe and Zomba, Malawi. A qualitative case-study combined document analysis, stakeholder mapping, sixteen semi-structured expert interviews, and a comparative rating matrix to assess key dimensions of capacity building. Findings indicate that CityRAP strengthens participatory governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, and locally owned planning, and builds relational capacity that enables actors to mobilise knowledge and resources across sectors and scales. However, durable impact requires embedding capacity building within multilevel governance: sustained outcomes depend on institutional continuity, recognising informal actors, setting clear mandates, and financing. Methodologically, the study refines a structured yet adaptable Capacity Building Framework (Purpose and Capacities, Multi-stakeholder, Finance, National Government, Gender, Knowledge Brokerage, Change, Local Context) usable to assess needs, guide design, support adaptive monitoring, and enable post-project evaluation.