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."
Read the 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.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority