Urbanisation, climate change, and natural hazards pose significant threats to urban development and environmental health, particularly in developing countries (DCs) across Asia, South America, and Africa. Urban resilience (UR) is critical for managing these challenges, especially in urban historic areas (UHAs). Despite its importance, there has been no systematic review of UR in DCs, specifically addressing the unique problems of historical sectors and potential solutions to enhance UR. This study aims to address this gap by examining the UR of DCs in response to urbanisation and risks impacting urban historic areas (UHAs). The research focuses on key UR indicators, including infrastructure, social systems, economic diversity, environmental sustainability, and cultural heritage (CH). A comprehensive literature review was conducted using reliable scientific databases, employing a thematic analysis approach to categorise and synthesise key findings. Key themes explored include the definition and components of UR, associated challenges, strategies for improvement, and the roles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tools. A comparative analysis of UR experiences in DCs was undertaken, featuring case studies from ten cities in each of the three continents (Asia, Latin America & Africa). The findings indicate the multifaceted nature of UR, underscoring its importance in maintaining critical functions and fostering positive development amid diverse challenges. Although some studies included a combination of different UR challenges, there were natural hazards in Asia (50%) and Africa (70%), and human-urbanization hazards (70%) in Latin America, compared to other aspects. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of UR in DCs, offering valuable insights from multiple perspectives and laying the groundwork for enhanced UR strategies in UHAs.
Maleki et al. (Sun,) studied this question.