The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has called for a framework that “better anticipates future shocks and stresses…, values resilience properly, drives adaptation before it is too late”. This call is echoed within academic literature and by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Furthermore, the National Resilience Strategy (NRS) sets out the need for an evaluation of socio-economic resilience to inform decision-making around societal stability. A resilience assessment framework (RAF) or tool that holistically addresses the vulnerabilities of infrastructure to the hazards of climate change is called for. This scoping review builds upon existing research through comparing and tabulating 110 resilience tools. The aim is to determine if any existing framework, or elements of any framework, could be used as components of an RAF formulated to address the calls of the NIC, MOD, NRS, and wider literature. The wider objective is to contribute to literature around infrastructure resilience and the early-stage development of a practically applicable holistic framework that enables resilience forecasting to inform infrastructure design and adaptation, increasing resilience while preventing infrastructure overcapitalization, resource overconsumption, or maladaptation.
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1 October 2025
Research Article|
December 30 2024
Infrastructure climate change resilience: a review of resilience assessment frameworks Available to Purchase
Christopher John Medland
;
PhD Researcher, Centre for Environment and Sustainability,
University of Surrey
, Guildford, UK
Corresponding author Christopher John Medland (c.medland@surrey.ac.uk)
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Jonathan Chenoweth
;
Jonathan Chenoweth
Senior Lecturer, Director of Learning and Teaching for Environment and Sustainability,
University of Surrey
, Guildford, UK
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Mike Mulheron
Mike Mulheron
Reader in Construction Materials, Director of Learning and Teaching for Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Surrey
, Guildford, UK
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Corresponding author Christopher John Medland (c.medland@surrey.ac.uk)
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
December 20 2023
Accepted:
November 19 2024
Online ISSN: 1751-7680
Print ISSN: 1478-4629
© 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited
2025
Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability (2025) 178 (5): 344–357.
Article history
Received:
December 20 2023
Accepted:
November 19 2024
Citation
Medland CJ, Chenoweth J, Mulheron M (2025), "Infrastructure climate change resilience: a review of resilience assessment frameworks". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability, Vol. 178 No. 5 pp. 344–357, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/jensu.23.00105
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