WHAT IS A RESILIENT CITY? IR DR ANNE KERR MANAGING DIRECTOR, GREATER CHINA GLOBAL HEAD CITIES MOTT MACDONALD
Gather together with two other people and ask what resilience means to them and it is highly likely there will several definitions given. Then for good measure add in the dimension of resilience in the city context and much broader and wider debates will ensue. At the strategic level resilient cities are better places to live, do business and invest in for the future. Resilient cities are not only better able to withstand the increasing severity of climate shocks, but also non-climate risks, such as seismic, geo-political and other hazards. The consequences of storms, floods, heatwaves and other impacts are evidenced by degradation and destruction of buildings and infrastructure, failure of water, sanitation, energy, transport and communication services, which ultimately affect people’s lives and livelihoods. By focusing efforts on resilience, cities will be better XX
prepared for the future, enabling citizens to work together in their communities for wider benefits to be realized. So if this is the case, then how do we tactically embed resilience into cities and communities?
We firstly need to consider - what is the city? The city is the people. Those who inhabit it, who work in it, who travel to visit and those who yearn to be there! Using the definition that resilient cities are places which can absorb and recover from shocks and be well prepared for future shocks, it is important to note that the “shocks” will be experienced in local XX 05
