Data-Driven Urban Resilience: From Risk Maps to Service Readiness—Closing Editorial for the Special Issue “Advances in Urban Spatial Analysis, Modeling and Simulation”

This closing editorial synthesizes the contributions gathered in the Special Issue “Advances in Urban Spatial Analysis, Modeling and Simulation.” We (i) present an introductory framing on open data, methods, and research infrastructures; (ii) outline recent methodological developments reshaping urban analytics; (iii) identify key knowledge gaps that still hinder the transition from analysis to policy; (iv) show how the five papers in this collection address those gaps with multiscale, multi-data, and decision-ready approaches; and (v) propose a forward agenda centered on comparable indicators, open benchmarking, governance thresholds, and transferability in contexts with limited data availability. Our argument aligns with broader evolutions in geospatial science, open technologies, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data stewardship, while remaining grounded in the pragmatic needs of cities. The following unified framework emerges: geospatial technologies and multiscale approaches represent strategic tools for guiding cities toward a more sustainable and adaptive future. Ultimately, spatial analysis and modeling should act as bridges between scientific insight and context-sensitive action—linking climate risk, microclimate, emergency response, and the reliability of everyday services.