Abstract Purpose – Despite a large body of studies on urban resilience to natural hazards, and the development of various comprehensive assessment frameworks, research on the design of seismic resilient urban form has received less attention. This study aims to establish a link between urban form at meso scale and the resilience characteristics to provide a foundation for the conceptual definition and operationalization of the urban form resilience to seismic hazards. Design/methodology/approach – This study undertakes a systematic review of literature on resilient urban form, with a focus on the mesoscale attributes selection, resilience characteristics (diversity, redundancy, modularity, adaptability and connectivity) and the relationship between the attributes of urban form and the resilience characteristics. Findings – The results provide a framework for operationalizing the link between urban form components and five key characteristics of a resilient city. Urban policymakers can apply the findings of this study to revise development plans aimed at enhancing urban resilience. Originality/value – In addition to examining the influence of the physical characteristics of urban form on resilience, this study also investigates the impact of cultural, socio-demographic and economic attributes of urban form on urban resilience.

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