100RC Building Resilience
The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative was launched in 2013 with the goal of helping global cities build resilience to the many threats facing urban centers in the 21st century.
37 New Member Cities Announced
37 new member cities have been announced, bringing the current total to the target implied in the program name. Included in the roster of new members are 8 American cities, which now make up a quarter of the list, and 3 Canadian cities (for a total of 4 in Canada) that are part of a deliberate effort to create hubs of experience in certain countries.
The latest cohort to be included in the 100RC Network
The selection criteria for inclusion on the list is based on a demonstrated commitment to resilience as well as strong leadership. The program is designed to empower design, implementation and solutions to the challenges of urbanization, globalization, climate change, natural disasters and long term stresses such as sea level rise and cybersecurity.
Significant Success since 2013
Since 2013 a dozen members have released their Resilience Strategies that outline specific initiatives and propose plans for major investment from within and from outside funding. Three cities have been awarded a total of $400 million based on their success in the National Disaster Resilience Competition of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Said HUD Secretary Julián Castro:
The National Disaster Resilience Competition exemplifies how government can work hand-in-hand with the philanthropic and private sectors to create lasting partnerships that will allow us to together face the challenges of tomorrow.
The Rockefeller Foundation was instrumental in helping the awardees prepare their submissions for the award, providing technical assistance, data, and multistakeholder participation in solution development.
New Challenges for New Members
The new participants will join other 100RC members that use their grant funding to hire Chief Resilience Officers that provide direct connection to the Resilience Strategy work between municipal government and city leaders. A notable recent undertaking was a Network Exchange that took place in Rotterdam last fall bringing together experts and solutions on water resiliency and sustainability.
“The 100 Resilient Cities Network is showing the global community a new way of coping with shared, complex challenges – building urban resilience,” saidDr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Incorporating resilience planning and principles not only prepares cities for disasters and long-term threats, but also improves everyday living standards for all members of an urban community. The geographical, political, and cultural diversity in the now-complete 100RC network demonstrates that when it comes to dealing with this century’s toughest challenges, resilience planning is essential.”
“Since 100RC’s founding in 2013, we have seen the resilience movement grow from a bold idea into a burgeoning fixture of local governments all over the world,” said Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities. “We are proud today to celebrate the fulfillment of our initial commitment to reach 100 cities – but the real work lies ahead. The threshold of success for 100RC will not solely be progress within our network of 100 cities. Instead, it will be the ability for solutions to scale, and for all cities around the world to build off of the innovative work leveraged by these 100 Resilient Cities through implementation of their Resilience Strategies.”