Disaster risk across landscapes

The nexGenDRR exchange took place across two contrasting but interconnected settings: Shanghai and Chengdu, moving from busy city environments to complex mountain areas.

In Shanghai the Swiss delegation explored how digital technologies are reshaping urban resilience. Visits to the Shanghai Meteorological Service, the Urban Multi-Hazard Early Warning Center, and the Artificial Intelligence Meteorological Application Innovation Center highlighted how real-time monitoring, artificial intelligence, and integrated information platforms support city-scale disaster preparedness. The MAZU-URBAN system, which is already deployed in 35 countries and regions, demonstrated how locally developed solutions can be adapted globally.

Shanghai’s role as a testing ground for resilience innovation is also rooted in history. In the late 19th century, Swiss meteorologist Marc Dechevrens, the first director of the Xujiahui Observatory, helped lay the foundations of modern meteorological forecasting in China. This also shows a great example of long-standing Sino-Swiss scientific exchange.

The program then shifted its focus to Chengdu, a crucial center for disaster risk governance in China’s mountainous southwest. At the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discussions focused on landslide monitoring, interactions between climate and hazards, and modeling driven by technology. Field visits to the Yingxiu earthquake memorial site and the Dujiangyan irrigation system grounded these conversations in real landscapes, illustrating how historical engineering knowledge and contemporary science together inform long-term resilience.

Understanding the full disaster lifecycle

A central idea of nexGenDRR is that disaster risk reduction is more than just predicting disasters. It also includes early warning, response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. 

In Shanghai, the focus was on early warning systems. At the Urban Multi-Hazard Early Warning Center, the group looked at how meteorological data, AI-based forecasts, and public communication come together in a “disaster preparedness for all” plan. Discussions with experts from the Shanghai Meteorological Service revealed that Switzerland and China both face similar challenges: turning complex data into quick, actionable decisions as climate uncertainty increases.

In Chengdu, the focus shifted to recovery. At the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR), created after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, Swiss and Chinese researchers examined different ways to rebuild after disasters. By combining engineering, public health, and social sciences, the IDMR shows how rebuilding can help strengthen communities and improve institutional capacity, rather than just fix damaged buildings.

Turning knowledge into practice

Throughout the discussions, everyone agreed on the importance of turning research into real-world solutions. 

In Shanghai, this conversation happened at the East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI) during a Sino-Swiss academic salon focused on urban resilience and designs that work for both everyday use and emergencies. Swiss experts shared their skills in modeling and environmental monitoring, while ECADI brought its experience in planning and building strong urban infrastructure. The talks highlighted the need to link technological innovation with urban management and community systems.

The academic exchange continued with discussions led by Swissnex in China and the ICA Commission on Cartography on Disaster and Early Warning. Leading scholars from Chinese universities joined the Swiss team. Participants pointed out that technical solutions should go hand in hand with insights from social sciences, governance, and community involvement to be effective.

The Shanghai program wrapped up with a public forum titled “Towards a Resilient Future: Sino-Swiss Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction.” This event, co-organized by Swissnex in China and East China Normal University, provided a space for researchers, policymakers, and the public to talk about extreme events, community resilience, risk management, and how to use data and digital tools effectively.

In Chengdu, discussions at IMHE showed how research institutions can connect academia, industry, and policy through applied science, long-term partnerships, and international collaboration.

NexGenDRR focuses on disaster risk reduction as a shared challenge that affects everyone. By moving from cities to mountains and from early warning to rebuilding, the initiative strengthened cooperation between China and Switzerland. It also promoted a larger vision of global teamwork, emphasizing that resilience is a responsibility we all share in this time of global crisis.