Report: Resilience in Action

This report, published by the Rockefeller’s Foundation 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative,  offers a look at how three bold, cutting-edge member cities are leading the way in mainstreaming resilience into the everyday fabric of their cities, and the benefits they expect to reap from their efforts. This report is meant to both celebrate the work these cities are doing, and also to elevate their lessons learned for others that want to engage in the resilience building process.

100RC views resilience not just in terms of the obvious shocks ‘“ earthquakes, fires, floods, etc. ‘“ but also in terms of the stresses that weaken the fabric of a city on a day-to-day or cyclical basis. Urban Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.

Cities that institutionalize resilience will: use their resources more efficiently, and for greater benefit; be more organized and coordinated to implement actions; be better prepared to deal with future challenges, both foreseen and unexpected; and be better able to engage with and serve their citizens in both good times and bad.

The report profiles three different approaches to institutionalizing and mainstreaming resilience thinking into local policy-making

• New Orleans, U.S.A. has embedded resilience thinking into the design, budgeting and planning of the city’”adapting existing planning tools such as its zoning ordinance and its comprehensive plan to further the city’ s resilience goals.
• Melbourne, Australia has mainstreamed a resilience practice by building coalitions with regional governments and by educating and empowering key sectors to adopt and integrate resilience thinking into their work.
• Semarang, Indonesia has taken a vertical integration approach’”institutionalizing resilience by engaging with its national government and ministries to embed resilience thinking into national plans and priorities.

Cities that institutionalize resilience will:

• Use their resources more efficiently  and for greater benefit
• Be more organized and coordinated to implement actions
• Be better prepared to deal with future challenges, both foreseen and unexpected
• Be better able to engage with and serve their citizens in both good times and bad.

• Download the report