Oct 02, 2019
The Dutch have a long-lasting tradition of managing water and doing so effectively has become part of the national identity. Much of the country sits below sea level, and that is why it’s protected by 3,700 km of dikes. The country lies within a river delta and is built up from sediment which is in…
Oct 02, 2019
Resilience is the bedrock of our communities. The numerous challenges our communities are grappling with underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive resilience measures across multiple policy areas. Total greenhouse gas emissions attained a historic record of 53.5 CO2-equivalent gigatonnes in 2017,[1] and up to 1 million species are at risk of extinction within the coming…
Oct 02, 2019
Introduction: Companies Begin Adapting to Climate Change Increasingly severe and frequent extreme weather events and chronic stresses are threatening urban communities and economic stability globally. In September 2019, during Typhoon Faxai almost a million people lost power throughout Tokyo and commuter trains were canceled. Evacuations were ordered, disrupting both residential life and business operations. Sony…
Oct 01, 2019
Understood as complex systems, cities depend on how well they work before a crisis to be prepared in the scenario of a turbulent future. Since 2017 when Quito released its resilience strategy, the city has been preparing itself to face challenges of all kinds, to recover, and to be stronger by focusing on its urban…
Oct 01, 2019
Today, cities and their inhabitants are facing intensifying challenges as a result of rapid urbanization, growing inequalities, a changing climate, and increasing political instability. We understand that cities need to move beyond the cycle of crisis response, recovery, and status quo rebuilding in order to address the underlying sources of vulnerabilities. Part of breaking this…
Oct 01, 2019
Community resilience planning is a dynamic process that involves multiple parties with varying interests, issues, and goals. Many communities are developing and implementing resilience plans, however, the needs and challenges vary considerably from place to place. Within the planning process, strong leadership, inclusive collaboration, and decision-making grounded in equity must be given key consideration. …
Oct 01, 2019
Urban Resilience. A notion so wide it can be seen from many different perspectives of understanding. Whether it is to prepare for a shock that may happen suddenly or tackle a stress that has been constantly disrupting the city’s function, being ‘resilient’ means that a city needs to have the capacity to prepare and bounce…
Oct 01, 2019
On August 28, 2019, a few days before the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Dorian (the strongest on record to strike the Bahamas), the Florida Action Committee issued a press release: “As Hurricane Dorian approaches, don’t wait until the last minute”. It warned people of the complications of emergency evacuations and to not delay making plans.…
Oct 01, 2019
There is only one landlord in the United States that is spending over a billion dollars on resilience measures on multi-family buildings: the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The Authority is rebuilding and protecting buildings – some almost 70 years old – against storm surge and sea level rise. In the aftermath of Superstorm…
Aug 26, 2019
When speaking about how our cities promote active, social, positive space for residents, many of our conversations end at sundown. Our streets and parks which are vibrant and full of life during the day, are often viewed as symbols of fear, danger, and vacancy at night. This Big Picture editorial, presented by Toyota Mobility Foundation,…
Aug 26, 2019
Every morning millions of city dwellers wake up unaware of the legions of hard-working citizens that keep our cities moving, clean, safe, and maintained at night. For many of these workers that help make our cities hum while most of us are sleeping, their movement is far from seamless or easy [1], [2]. While some…
Aug 26, 2019
In 2018, I was appointed Director of Nuit Blanche in Paris, the most important outdoor cultural event initiated 18 years ago by the Paris City Hall. Every year, the Mayor gives a wild card to an Artistic Director to imagine, all over the French capital, a meeting between the public and contemporary creations. For my…
