Culture-Led Urban Resilience: Baguio City's Model for Sustainable Development and Crisis Recovery

Abstract

Urban resilience has increasingly evolved beyond the traditional focus on
infrastructure and disaster preparedness to encompass social, cultural, and environmental
dimensions. In recent years, cities worldwide have recognized that culture serves not merely
as a repository of heritage but as a strategic resource that strengthens community resilience,
promotes sustainable development, and enhances adaptive governance. Baguio City, the first
UNESCO Creative City in the Philippines for Crafts and Folk Art, presents a compelling
example of how culture can be integrated into public policy and local governance to address
contemporary challenges. By embedding indigenous knowledge, creative industries, cultural
heritage, and community participation into its development agenda, the city has established
a holistic model that enhances environmental sustainability, economic resilience, and social
cohesion. This paper examines how Baguio City's culture-centred governance contributes to
resilience building, crisis recovery, and sustainable urban development.