Post-crisis reconstruction in the built environment in Mediterranean countries

Baku, Azerbaijan, 19 May 2026. Several countries in the Mediterranean have recently faced devastating natural disasters that severely affected their built environments. On 6 February 2023, a series of earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, killing more than 55,000 people – the region’s most destructive seismic event in two decades. On 8 September 2023, a powerful earthquake hit Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, causing the complete or partial destruction of approximately 59,000 homes and significant loss of life. On 29 October 2024, intense and devastating rainfall in Valencia, Spain, resulted in 238 deaths and widespread damage to the built environment. Earlier, on 22 March 2020, Zagreb experienced its strongest earthquake since 1880, severely damaging the historic city centre and subsequent earthquakes later that year caused further destruction in rural areas and additional damage in the capital.

These events have prompted national authorities in the affected countries to put in place comprehensive post-disaster reconstruction programmes aimed at restoring affected areas and strengthening resilience.

Against this backdrop, the Networking Event “Post-crisis reconstruction in the built environment in Mediterranean countries” held within the framework of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), will provide a platform for countries to share tools, actions and policy responses put in place in the aftermath of these disasters. The event will also facilitate peer learning by highlighting ongoing challenges and discussing how to ensure both effective reconstruction and improved resilience to natural disasters in future housing and urban development.

Organised by the UfM Secretariat in cooperation with the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy of Morocco and the Ministry of Territories, Ecology and Housing of France, the event will also bring together representatives from the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets of Croatia, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda of Spain, and a representative involved in reconstruction efforts in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaraş province.

For more information please visit: Post-crisis reconstruction in the built environment in Mediterranean countries | WUF