Resilient by Design: How Cities are Preparing for Tomorrow’s Shocks and Stresses
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By Daniel Simons
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, overwhelming its levees and unleashing catastrophe.
Over 80% of the city was submerged by tens of billions of gallons of floodwaters, 1,800 lives were lost, and over $160 billion (US) in damage was inflicted.
The fury of the storm, the inadequate response to the disaster, and the overwhelming task of rebuilding served as a global wake-up call.
In the years that followed, the world witnessed the 2011 tsunami wreak havoc on the Fukushima nuclear plant, New York paralyzed by Superstorm Sandy, and burst dams in Brazil triggering 2-metre-high waves.
In the city of Feni in southeast Bangladesh, floodwaters submerged over 11 districts and forced nearly 1.5 million inhabitants to evacuate.
These tragedies serve as harrowing reminders that our proudest cities — once emblems of progress — are increasingly at the mercy of forces beyond our control.
With climate change destabilising weather patterns, natural disasters are set to increase in frequency and severity, but they’re not the only challenges threatening our cities.
Extreme heat, cyber-attacks, urban warfare, economic fragility, and biological risks like infectious diseases and bioterrorism loom larger by the day.
In a world of rising complexity and instability, resilient thinking has become an essential tool in the fight to protect our cities from disruptions that can lead to social, economic, and physical collapse.
With these threats set to intensify exponentially and the United Nations projecting that over two-thirds of the global population will live in urban centres by 2050, building ‘future-proof’ cities is quickly becoming one of the defining challenges of our time.
Laying the foundations for resilient cities
In 2013 — recognising the need to address the daunting challenges of the 21st century — the Rockefeller Foundation launched the 100 Resilient Cities program.
With an initial investment of $100 million(US), the Foundation invited 100 cities from around the world to pioneer new ways of strengthening urban resilience against the growing threats of climate change, economic instability, and social inequality.
The project enabled cities to create comprehensive resilience strategies by offering innovative tools, services, expertise, and frameworks.
The majority of their funding was earmarked for the hiring of Chief Resilience Officers (CROs) in each city.
The CROs led strategic initiatives, promoted cross-sector collaboration, and ensured resilience was integrated at all government levels.
They united diverse stakeholders, guided decision-makers, developed resilience programs, and leveraged funding opportunities.
The initiative quickly gained traction. Cities from New York to Medellín, and Singapore to Rotterdam, embraced the opportunity to reimagine their futures.
In Australia, Sydney and Melbourne stepped up to the challenge. In partnership with Arup, the Rockefeller Foundation also developed the Resilient Cities Index to enable cities to measure and monitor the multiple factors that contribute to their resilience, diagnose strengths and weaknesses, and measure relative performance over time.
The 100 Resilient Cities initiative came to an end in 2019, leading to the formation of the Resilient Cities Network.
According to Rockefeller’s Resilient Cities, Resilient Lives report, the initiative supported 135 Chief Resilient Officers, fostered over 200 collaborations, and coordinated over 17,000 individuals working on urban resilience.
The Resilient Cities Network network continues to support cities in their efforts to build resilience. With a focus on knowledge sharing and collaboration, the network runs the ‘R-Cities’ program, which focuses on Climate Resilience, Circular Cities, and Equitable Cities, and manages the Resilient Community Impact Fund, which provides cities with grants to ‘initiate resilience innovation’.
Today, the Resilient Cities Network is joined by a growing ecosystem of organisations championing urban resilience.
Groups like C40 Cities, UCLG, The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, ICLEI, the UN’s Urban Resilience Hub, and Cities Alliance are all dedicated to preparing cities for the stressors and shocks that come with modern life.
As part of the Race To Resilience Program, the UN recently established the Cities Race to Resilience initiative, which brought together a broad coalition of organisations around the shared mission to ‘strengthen the resilience of 4 billion people by the year 2030’.
Key Concepts for Resilient Cities
The concept of ‘resilience’ comes from ecology and describes the ability of an ecosystem to bounce back from disturbances.
In the context of cities, the Rockefeller Foundation defines resilience as, “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 shocks they experience.”
Resilience thinking encourages collaboration between national, state, and local governments.
It also emphasises the need to look beyond ‘government’ and towards more collaborative forms of ‘governance’ that are polycentric and adaptive.
Governments must invest in the programs and infrastructure required by each city and its specific needs and challenges, but efforts must also be made to build community and knowledge networks so that citizens can govern, aid, and support each other, especially in the wake of overwhelming emergencies or disasters.
As resilience thinking begins to permeate city planning and policy development, emphasis is also placed on supporting projects and systems that can help citizens thrive, no matter their circumstances.
The City Resilience Framework
Developed by Arup with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Resilient Cities Framework provides a lens to understand the qualities and dimensions of city resilience.
The seven key qualities represent the defining characteristics of a resilient city are:
1. Reflectiveness: The ability to learn from past experiences and adjust strategies accordingly.
2. Resourcefulness: Being able to quickly find different ways to achieve goals or meet needs during a shock or stress.
3. Robustness: Well-conceived, constructed, and managed systems that can withstand the impacts of hazardous events.
4. Redundancy: Spare capacity purposely created to accommodate disruption.
5. Flexibility: The willingness and ability to adopt alternative strategies in response to changing circumstances.
6. Inclusiveness: Broad consultation and engagement of communities, including the most vulnerable groups.
7. Integration: Bringing together a range of distinct systems and institutions.
The four dimensions are used to guide strategy and policy decision-making:
1. Health & Wellbeing: Ensuring the health and well-being of everyone living and working in the city.
2. Economy & Society: Fostering cohesive and engaged communities, and a diverse and inclusive economy.
3. Infrastructure & Environment: Providing reliable communication, mobility, and critical services.
4. Leadership & Strategy: Promoting effective leadership, empowered stakeholders, and integrated planning.
Resilience in action
From advanced infrastructure to community-driven initiatives, cities around the globe are showcasing how resilience can turn challenges into remarkable opportunities for change.
In Europe, Rotterdam leads the way with its Climate Proof and Adaptation Strategies, which feature innovative solutions like water plazas that serve as both recreational spaces and flood retention areas, and floating pavilions designed to adapt to rising waters.
Paris is transforming its urban landscape through the OASIS program, converting 73 hectares of asphalted surfaces in schools into green spaces that offer shade, manage rainwater, and mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Copenhagen’s Superkilen Park promotes inclusivity and unity, providing a welcoming environment for diverse communities. In Italy, Milan’s Bosco Verticale is setting a new standard in urban sustainability with its vertical forests that combat pollution, alter microclimates, and enhance biodiversity.
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, New York City pioneered a comprehensive resilience plan with OneNYC 2050, leading to projects like The Big U – designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which integrates flood protection with parkland.
The High Line has repurposed an old railway into a thriving park, and the Lowline aims to introduce the world’s first underground park, driven by innovative solar technology.
In other parts of the world, innovative solutions are also making strides in urban resilience. Puerto Rico’s community energy hubs bolster solar resilience with reliable, localised energy sources during outages.
Planners in the Caribbean are looking to ferrocement to protect roofs and solar panels from hurricanes. And in order to combat the threats of climate change and water-related risks, African cities are embracing the SUNCASA initiative (Scaling Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa).
In response to the dire threat of rising sea levels, Busan in South Korea has gone as far as to entertain the radical idea of an entire city that floats on water.
Emerging Concepts for Future-Proof Cities
As designers, architects, urban planners, and policymakers dream up innovative new ways to prepare for the future, clusters of ideas are emerging to help reimagine how cities can thrive in the face of mounting challenges.
Sponge Cities
Sponge cities are urban areas designed to absorb and reuse rainwater, significantly reducing flood risk and combating water scarcity. These cities incorporate features like permeable pavements, green roofs, and rainwater harvesting systems.
Smart Cities
Smart cities leverage cutting-edge technology and data to enhance urban systems and services, driving efficiency and resilience. These cities utilise smart grids for energy distribution, implement data-driven traffic management systems, and optimise public services to create more sustainable urban environments.
Heat-Resilient Cities
The unprecedented rise in global temperatures has led to many cities employing ‘chief heat officers‘ to help prepare for our inevitably hotter futures. Cities are countering the threat of extreme heat by adopting strategies like green roofs, cool pavements, and expanding urban greenery. These measures help mitigate the effects of rising temperatures and enhance the livability of urban spaces.
Circular Cities
Circular cities focus on minimising waste and maximising resource efficiency by reimagining urban economies. This approach promotes sustainable consumption patterns through recycling, reusing, and reducing waste.
Biophilic Cities
Biophilic cities integrate nature into urban design, enhancing both ecological resilience and the well-being of their inhabitants. Urban parks, green walls, and natural habitats are incorporated into cityscapes to create environments that are not only sustainable but also enriching for residents.
15-Minute Cities
The concept of 15-minute cities revolves around the idea that all essential services should be accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, reducing car dependency and fostering community resilience. This model promotes local living, strengthens community ties, and enhances the quality of urban life.
Underground Cities
Underground urban development is an emerging concept that could offer protection from climate extremes, overpopulation, and resource scarcity while maintaining functionality. These subterranean spaces are designed to be fully integrated with above-ground infrastructure, providing additional resilience to urban environments. Underground cities are rare, but Helsinki stands out as a source of inspiration. Beneath the capital, there is a network of bunkers, tunnels, and over 5500 bomb shelters with enough space to shelter the city’s entire population of 1.3 million people.
Carbon-Neutral Cities
Resilient cities not only address challenges, they also ensure they don’t contribute to worsening them. Carbon-neutral cities achieve this by aiming for net-zero carbon emissions, incorporating renewable energy sources, green buildings, and sustainable transit options into their infrastructure. They focus on reducing their environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices.
A resilient future
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina served as a grim reminder of the vulnerabilities our cities face. Nearly two decades later, the lesson remains clear: cities must be proactive, not reactive, in the face of growing threats.
Sparked by vanguard philanthropists like the Rockefeller Foundation, the quest for resilient cities has taken hold and given rise to a thriving and evolving ecosystem.
Recently the UNDRR launched Making Cities Resilient 2030, a knowledge-sharing network that empowers cities to understand the risks they face, plan for better futures, and implement actions that support those plans. It already has over 1700 participating cities, covering almost half a billion people.
Facing the reality of an increasingly ‘VULCA’ world, the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity make resilient thinking a critical priority. It must form the bedrock of all our policies and plans and infuse every layer of society.
If we rise to this challenge, resilience will not only protect us from the shocks of tomorrow, it will ensure our urban communities thrive in the face of whatever the future holds.
