This study employs bibliometric analysis, utilizing the visualization tools CiteSpace 6.3.R1 and VOSviewer 1.6.18, to systematically examine 8727 documents from the Web of Science Core Collection (2000–2024) related to “resilient cities” and “urban resilience.” It explores the evolution of resilient city research, current international trends, practical developments in China, and future directions. The study addresses key questions concerning the theoretical foundations of resilient cities, research advances in the security field, China’s implementation pathways, and emerging trends. Findings indicate that resilient city discourse has evolved from a narrow focus on engineering-based disaster prevention toward a multidimensional, socio-ecological–economic adaptive system. This progression can be divided into three phases: the theoretical foundation period (2000–2008), the technological integration period (2009–2018), and the complex crisis response period (2019–present). Internationally, practices are increasingly centered on climate change adaptation, supported by multi-level governance frameworks such as the MCR2030 initiative. China demonstrates a “dual-track” approach that combines policy-driven initiatives with localized innovations, advancing through international pilot projects, domestic policy experimentation, and grassroots exploration. The study also highlights differences between Chinese and Western research in perspectives, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks. Future resilient city development is expected to emphasize systematization, digitalization, and equity, leveraging technologies such as digital twins and artificial intelligence while fostering community participation and multi-scale collaborative governance. By systematically outlining the theoretical evolution and practical logic of resilient cities, this study offers insights for urban resilience building in developing countries and provides a methodological reference for enhancing resilience capabilities across different administrative levels.

The competency level of safety professionals directly impacts the effectiveness of accident prevention and control within enterprises. Establishing a systematic talent development framework and knowledge architecture is the key pathway to enhancing corporate safety performance. This study focuses on the safety engineering education system in Chinese universities, aiming to systematically analyze the relationship between safety competency components, knowledge systems, and curriculum design. This analysis will establish a competency model and knowledge framework applicable to safety professionals. By collecting and organizing the core curriculum of this program, this study employs complex network analysis methods. Using Gephi software, a course network is constructed and visualized. Based on this, courses are categorized according to their knowledge content, thereby dissecting the competency model and knowledge framework embedded within the safety engineering talent development system of higher education institutions. The findings indicate that safety professionals should possess four core competencies: fundamental knowledge competency, safety management competency, occupational safety technology competency, and risk management competency. These encompass 24 key safety knowledge areas, which can be effectively cultivated through systematic study of 19 core professional courses. Starting from the educational system architecture, this research provides theoretical foundations and practical references for enterprises and universities in cultivating safety professionals, evaluating competencies, and optimizing curricula.