By the year 2050 it is expected that 70% of the worlds population will live in cities. Today, that number is already well over 50% and now more than ever the effects of what happens in one city influences what happens in another. The idea behind the Rockefeller Foundation’s, 100 Resilient Cities is that the worlds cities have a way to help implement resilient strategies through access to a platform of services, partners, and Chief Resilience Officers throughout the globe.
Houston is the first city to join 100RC since the final challenge in 2016 and with help from Shell Corporation, became the first to do so by third-party sponsorship, August 29th, 2018.
“We are pleased to welcome the City of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner to our global network,” said Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities. “With the experience of Hurricane Harvey still fresh on the minds of many in and around Houston, we see ample opportunity to work with the city in creating a long-term vision to address risks, build new opportunities, and ultimately build a more resilient Houston by leveraging the experiences of the 100RC Network and by fostering an inclusive, comprehensive resilience planning process.”
100RC provides Houston with a grant to hire a Chief Resiliency Officer that will be instrumental in the creation of the cities Comprehensive Resilience Strategy. The city’s Comprehensive Resilience Strategy is a “portfolio of actionable initiatives” created to help plan for the numerous challenges Houston will face while navigating through the globalization, urbanization, and climate change issues that have been escalating in the recent years. The issues and stressors identified for our region span from aging infrastructure to cyber attacks, and include other topics such as economic inequality, homelessness, hurricane/ typhoon/ cyclone, rainfall flooding, severe storms, and traffic congestion.
“I’m excited about this very special partnership among the city, 100 Resilient Cities and Shell because of what it can mean for Houstonians now and in the decades to come,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “The generosity of 100RC and Shell means Houston will become part of a network that is building stronger cities that will be more ready to deal with one-time obstacles, long-term challenges and a next Hurricane Harvey.”
For more information visit http://www.100resilientcities.org/cities/houston/
Written By: Imani Forrest
Edit By: Carmen Kumpula