In the face of climate change, making cities "resilient" before crises strike has become a pressing concern.
Municipalities around the world are hiring Chief Resilience Officers (CRO) to focus on this objective, navigating complex bureaucracies in preparation for the "shocks and stresses" sure to come.
Through the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities program, Los Angeles will receive funds to hire a CRO, although Mayor Eric Garcetti has yet to appoint the individual. Heather Joy Rosenberg, a US Green Building Council Ginsberg Fellow, writes a letter to whomever will fill this role. She notes the sobering realities in California that the incoming CRO will face, cautions him or her about the challenges Los Angeles poses, and offers suggestions for creating resilience within this metropolis.
Rosenberg speaks to the need to prepare, even against the will of the public: "Are there price tags on these efforts? Of course, but the evidence shows we’ll pay much more tomorrow if we don’t invest today. Americans overall resist planning for real disasters, and are far more willing to pay for disaster recovery than disaster preparedness—even though recovery can be a slow and difficult process costing many times more: FEMA estimates that $1 in pre-disaster preparedness could save society $4 on post-disaster recovery."
FULL STORY: An Open Letter to the Garcetti Administration’s Incoming LA City Chief Resilience Officer
Op-Ed: Seattle Resilience Roadmap Feels 'Retrospective'
Natalie Bicknell notes several deficiencies in the roadmap that resulted from Seattle's participation in the Rockefeller Foundation's now-defunct 100 Resilient Cities program.
Five Years of 100 Resilient Cities
It's been five years since the Rockefeller Foundation launched the 100 Resilient Cities initiative. A new analysis by the Urban Institute evaluates the accomplishments of 100 Resilient Cities so far.
Los Angeles Resiliency Strategy Looks Beyond 'The Big One'
Renewable energy, sea-level rise, and, of course, seismic safety are all part of the plan.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association