Professorial Lecture by Professor Silvia Serrao-Neumann

From bouncing back to transforming forward: planning for risk, resilience and adaptation in times of extreme weather events. 'Planning for an Uncertain Future: Rethinking Resilience, Risk and Adaptation in a Changing Climate' by Professor Silvia Serrao-Neumann. Climate change is reshaping the world around us, challenging long-held assumptions about how we plan for the future. As extreme weather events become more frequent, intense and complex, communities, governments and organisations are increasingly confronted with uncertainty. How can we prepare for risks that cannot be precisely predicted? What does resilience mean in a rapidly changing world? In this professorial lecture, Professor Silvia Serrao-Neumann explores how climate change is transforming our understanding of risk, resilience and adaptation. Drawing on research and practical experience in disaster risk planning, climate adaptation, community resilience and environmental planning, she argues that resilience is about far more than recovering from shocks. It is about learning, adapting and, where necessary, transforming the systems and practices that create vulnerability. The lecture challenges conventional approaches that rely on past experience to guide future decisions and highlights the importance of flexible, adaptive and forward-looking planning. It examines how disasters are shaped not only by natural hazards but also by social inequalities, governance choices and patterns of development. Central to this discussion is the role of communities, collaborative planning and nature-based solutions in building more resilient futures. While the risks posed by climate change are significant, the lecture offers a hopeful perspective. Through collective action, innovation and inclusive decision-making, societies can move beyond simply ‘bouncing back’ from crises towards creating safer, fairer and more sustainable futures. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about one of the defining challenges of our time: learning not only to respond to uncertainty, but to thrive within it. This 45-minute public lecture will be held at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, starting at 5.45pm. Ticket scanning and Opus Bar will be open from 5pm. Free parking is available on campus at Gate 1 and Gate 2B, Knighton Road, Hamilton from 4.30pm. Please register your attendance by clicking on the 'select tickets' button above and bring your eticket, with you on the evening to be scanned. If you would like to hear from us about future Public Lectures held at the University of Waikato, please join click HERE to join our mailing list. Professor Silvia Serrao-Neumann is a Professor of Environmental Planning at the University of Waikato and Associate Dean Research. Her research focuses on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, community resilience, urban water, and transformative planning for sustainable futures. She has led major national and international projects addressing flood risk, climate resilience, and nature-based solutions.