Helping cities drive transformation: the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative

Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) was founded in 2013 as a separate NGO to help cities face three major threats and ... Skiptonavigation –Sitemap FieldActionsScienceReports Thejournaloffieldactions HomeVolumesandIssuesSpecialIssue183.Conditionsforsuccessandimp...Helpingcitiesdrivetransformati... Search Contents-Nextdocument SpecialIssue18 | 2018:ResilientCities 3.Conditionsforsuccessandimplementationofresiliencestrategies Helpingcitiesdrivetransformation:the100ResilientCitiesInitiative InterviewswithMichaelBerkowitz,presidentof100ResilientCities,andDr.ArnoldoMatusKramer,MexicoCity’sChiefResilienceOfficer MichaelBerkowitzandArnoldoMatusKramer p.52-57 Abstract |Index |Outline |Text |References |Abouttheauthors Abstract PioneeredbytheRockefellerFoundation,100ResilientCities(100RC)wasfoundedin2013asaseparateNGOtohelpcitiesfacethreemajorthreatsandchallenges:growingurbanization,globalization,andclimatechange.Initially,acommitmentof$100milliondedicatedtobuildurbanresiliencewasmadebytheFoundation(thecommitmenthasnowgoneupto$164 million).Withthisinitiative,100 ResilientCitiessupportscitiesinbuildingaResilienceStrategyaimedatidentifyingthemainriskstheyarefacingandthebestwaytotacklethem.Tohelpcitiesdrivetransformation,100 ResilientCitieshassetupdifferenttoolsfromfinancialtotechnicalsupport.TheinitiativeencouragescitiestohireaChiefResilienceOfficer(CRO)whoisthesinglepointofcontactwithinacity’sgovernment.TheCRO’smissionistobothdelivertheResilienceStrategyofacitybyassessingrisksandtomonitorimplementationoftheplan.Today,40resiliencestrategieshavebeensetupthrough100ResilientCitieswith90ChiefResilienceOfficersinplaceincities. Topofpage Indexterms Keywords :RockefellerFoundation,shocksandstresses,ChiefResilienceOfficerTopofpage Outline 1.InterviewwithMichaelBerkowitz 2.InterviewwithDr.ArnoldoMatusKramerTopofpage Fulltext PDF6.3MSendbye-mail BangkokZoomOriginal(jpeg,736k) 1.InterviewwithMichaelBerkowitz ZoomOriginal(png,95k) Resilienceinthecontextofcitiesisa verybroadconcept.Whatdoesresiliencemeanforan organizationsuchasTheRockefellerFoundation? MichaelBerkowitz:Resilienceisthecapacityofacitytothriveinthefaceofshocksandstresses.Stressesandshocksaredifferentthings.Shockscanbeearthquakesorterroristattackswhilestressesaremorelongtermlikeairpollutionorhighlevelsofcriminality.Theseshocksandstressescanimperilacity.Urbanresilienceisaboutthecapacitytosurviveinthefaceoftheserisks. Whatallowsthecitytobemoreresilientisabroadrangeofcapacities.Peopleoftenentertheurbanresiliencelensthroughpublicinfrastructure.Publicinfrastructureispartofresilience,butitisbroaderthanthat:itisaboutcommunitycohesion,diversifiedeconomywithastrongmiddleclass.It’salsoaboutgoodgovernance,strongstrategicplanningandstakeholderengagement.Alltheseverydifferentthingshelpcitiesstriveinthefaceofcrisis. In2013,TheRockefellerFoundationlaunched100 ResilientCities,whichyouoversee.What istheoriginof100ResilientCities,itsvisionandobjectives? M.B.:100ResilientCities(100RC)waspioneeredbyTheRockefellerFoundationtomarktheFoundation’s100thanniversary.TheFoundationlookedaroundtheworldandsawthreemajorthreatswhenitcomestocities:(1)growingurbanization,(2)globalization,and(3)climatechange. Over50%ofthepopulationlivesincitiestoday,andbythemiddleofthecentury,itwillriseto70–75%.Inthiscontext,gettingcitiesrightisoneofthemostcriticalelements. Thesecondelementisglobalization.Whathappensinonecityimpactsothercitiesaroundtheworld.Thisistrueforpositiveimpactssuchastechnologiesandinnovation.Butitisalsotruefornegativeones:acrisisinoneplacecandisturbsupplychainsworldwide,diseasesspreadfromonecitytoanother,etc. Thethirdtrendisclimatechange.Citiesareextremelyvulnerableinthefaceofclimatechangebecausetheysitondeltasandcoastalareasandvulnerablepopulationsareoverexposed. 100ResilientCitieswasfoundedin2013asaseparateNGOtohelpcitiesfaceallthesechallenges.AtthetimethecommitmentfromTheRockefellerFoundationwastofind100 citiesandcommit$100milliontobuildurbanresilience.TheFoundationhassincegonebeyondthatandcommitted$164million.Wearetryingtochangethewaycitiesapproachtheirrisksandopportunities.Urbanresilienceisaboutbeingmoreintegratedacrosssectors:privatesector,government,civilsociety.Itisalsoaboutintegratedplanningwithinthecitybymakingsureforinstancethatwaterandutilitypeopletalktothemobilityandeconomicdevelopmentpeople.Theobjectiveisthatpeopleapproachcitiesinamoreinclusiveway.Wearetryingtohavecitiesbemoreforwardlookingandstrategic.It’sveryhard,becausetheyhavesomanyshort-termissuesthattheyneedtosolvethattheyoftendon’thavetheluxurytothinkoflong-termstrategic planning. Whatare100ResilientCities’approachandtoolstoimprovecities’resilience? M.B.:Weselected100citiestobeaninspirationbelievingthattheywillchangeultimatelytheway10,000citiesoperate.ThefirstthingwedoishelphireaChiefResilienceOfficer(CRO)whoisthesinglepointofcontactacrossthecity’sgovernmenttoforcethecitytothinkmorestrategicallyaboutresilience.Second,wehelpthembuildaResilienceStrategy,whichisbothatop-downandabottom-upapproachtoidentifywheretheriskliesandwhatthecitycanimplement.Thethirdthingisweconnectcitiestoourplatformofbest-in-classpartnersthatcanhelpcitiesimplementtheirstrategy. Dependingontheirneeds,citiescantapintothisnetworkofpartnersorthenetworkofCROs,whohavealreadygoneaboutlookingattheirriskandopportunitiesinanewway. Citiesdon’tallhavethesameneeds.Sometimestheyneedthepoliticalcourage,andanNGOcanhelpthemayortakeanewapproach.Sometimesthecityneedstechnicalcapacity.Howdoyouintegrategreeninfrastructureinariverrevitalisationproject?100ResilientCitieshasanetworkoftechnicalexpertsthatcanhelpthecityexpanditsknowledgeandprogress.Inothercases,citiesneedfinance.Usuallycitiesdon’tneedlargepoolsoffinancebutrathersmallshort-termfinancethatcanhelpprogressaprojectfromonedesignphasetoanother.Whencitiestakewell-designedprojectstheyalmostalwaysfindfinanceeitherthroughprivatesectorcapitalordevelopmentfinance.Buteventhoughthereisalotofcapital,thedifficultyisadvancingtheprojecttoaplacewhereitcanbefinanced. Sothroughournetworkofpartnersandmembercities,weareabletohelpcitiesinthosedifferentways. 100ResilientCitieswascreatedfive yearsago;haveyoubeenableto measuresomeimpact? M.B.:Thisisanareawheremoreresearchisneeded.Wewantcitiestohavebetteroutcomes;nexttimethereisfloodingorarefugeecrisis,wewantthemtoperformbetter.Progressishardtomeasurebecausesucheventsarelargeandcomplex,withlowfrequencyandhighimpact.Whatwecanmeasureistheinternalprocess.We havehelpedcitiesbuildrigorousstrategiesandwecanmeasurehowthey’vedoneitandiftheyhaveimplementedthestrategies.Wecanmeasureifthathasbroughtmoreinvestmenttothecityandtowhatextentresiliencehasbeeninstitutionalized.Wearepartneringwithaconsultancytohelpusbuildmethodologiesandwe’rebeginningtomakemeasurementsonaproject-to-projectbasis. Improvingmeasurementwillbekeyforinvestorsandfordecisionmakerstoprioritizewheretospendresources. BuenosAiresZoomOriginal(jpeg,788k) Doyouthinkawarenessofandinterestinresiliencehasgrownsinceyoustarted100RC? M.B.:Yes,definitely!Inournetworkofpartnercompanies,awarenesshasgrown.I’vebeenreallyimpressedbythechangethathashappenedinfouryears.AttheWorldUrbanForuminColombiafouryearsago,wetalkedaboutresilienceandpeoplewerestrugglingtounderstandwhatitwas.Wewenttothesameconferencefour yearslaterinMalaysiain2018.Thistimepeoplewereinlinewithwhatitwas,theconferenceevendedicatedawholedaytoit,andtheconversationthenturnedtothehow.Thatfeltlikeasignificantshiftinfouryears.Weplayedaroleinthatbutit’salsothankstoalargercommunityofpublicandprivate actors. Whataretheprioritiesof100RCforthecomingyears? M.B.:Therearecloseto90CROsinplaceincities,40strategieshavebeenreleased,20to25 havestartedtobeimplemented.Thenextthingtodoistomakesurethatstrategiesareactuallyimplementedandthatdoesn’thappenovertwoorthree years.That’stheworkofageneration.Whatwe’rehopingtodoispartnerwithcitiesinthelongruntoimplementthoseplans,becausethatiswhatwillchangethefootprintofcitiesandmakethemsustainableandultimatelymore resilient. 2.InterviewwithDr.ArnoldoMatusKramer ZoomOriginal(png,113k) YouhavebeenworkingastheChief ResilienceOfficer(CRO)ofMexicoCitysince2014.CouldyouelaborateontheroleofCROswithincities? ArnoldoMatusKramer:TheroleofaChiefResilienceOfficer(CRO)istwofold:(1)deliveringtheresiliencestrategyofacitybyassessingandprioritizingrisksand(2)monitoringandfollowingupitsimplementation. Todefinetheresiliencestrategy,thefirstphaseisoftenastakeholderengagementprocesstoidentifythemainprioritiesintermsofrisksforthecity.Participatorymeetingswithvariouscitystakeholdersareorganized.Itrangesfromgovernmentrepresentativestoscientificexperts,orprivateandcivilsocietyactors.Thisprocessisoftenlongandfairlycomplex.InMexicoCity,becausethecityisvastandfacesmultipleissues,ittookayearandahalftodesignthestrategy. Attheendofthisprocess,wecameupwithaconcretestrategy,releasedonSeptember2016.WehavethreemainprioritiestodayinMexicoCityintermsofresilience:seismicrisks,waterandmobility. Resiliencetoseismicriskshasbecomeaprioritywithlastyear’searthquake.Anotherearthquakeisinevitableinthefutureandweneedtoprepare.Wewanttolearnfromthisexperience,tobuildresilience.Backin2014,thegovernmentofCDMX(MexicoCity)createdtheFundforAssistancewithNaturalDisaster(FONADEN)withaninitialbudgetof$300millionofwhich30%isaddressingdisasterssuchasearthquakes. Thesecondpriorityiswater.InMexicoCity,oneofthemainstresseswouldbeoverexploitationoftheaquifer.Inthefuture,itwillbecomeabigriskforthecityaswecanloseupto50%ofthewateravailabletothecity.MexicoCity’sResilienceStrategyhassetupfourgoalstoachievearesilientwatersystem:reducingwaterscarcity,promotingsustainableuseoftheaquifer,fosteringacivicculturewhenitcomestowaterandintegratinggreenandblueinfrastructure. Thelastpriorityismobility.Theambitionistobuildsustainablemobilityinthecity,notablybyincreasingthenumberofpedestriansandcyclistsandhavinganefficientandsecuremassivepublictransitsystem.Mexicoisbecomingamiddle-classcountryandpeopleincreasinglybuycars,whichtranslatesintoincreasedtrafficatthemetropolitanlevel.TheCDMXNewMobilityModelisbasedonprinciplesprioritizingthemostvulnerableuserssuchascyclistsand pedestrians. Oncethestrategyisdesignedandobjectivessetup,thechallengeistocreatetheconditionstoimplementit.InMexico,afterbeingpublished,theresiliencestrategyquicklybecameinstitutionalized.WeusedtheopportunityofthecreationofanewConstitutiontoincluderesilienceinit.ThenewConstitutionadoptedin2017mentionsresilienceinthreeofitsmajorchapters:socialinclusion,territorialmanagementandgovernance. Implementingaresiliencestrategyalsoimpliesinvolvingdifferentactors,beyondpublicauthorities.Forexample,inMexicoCity,wehavebuiltawaterfundthatismanagedbythenon-governmentalorganizationcalledAguaCapital,whichhasacoalitionofprivatesectorparticipants(suchasHSBC,Citibank,GrupoModelo,etc.)andNGOs(TheNatureConservancy,etc.),andgovernmentagencies(MinistryofEnvironmentandtheResilienceAgency).Theobjectiveistoworkonwatersecuritytoconserveforestareasclosetothecitythatarecriticaltorechargingtheaquifer.Wehaveapilotprojectof800hectaresmanagedwiththecommunitytoconservethelandandimproveagriculturalpracticestoavoidloweringoftheaquifer. Inshort,theroleofaCROisverydynamicandextremelytransversal! WhatkindofsupportdoChiefResilienceOfficersreceivefromThe RockefellerFoundationbothinthedesignandimplementationphasesofacity’sresiliencestrategy? A.M.K:100ResilientCitiesprovidessupporttocitiesintwomainways:financialsupportandtechnicalassistance. Thefirstkindofsupportacityreceivesonceitjoinsthe100ResilientCitiesnetworkisfinancial.ChiefResilienceOfficersarechosenbythemayorfortwoyearsandthemunicipalityreceivesfinancialassistancetocreatethisposition.Thenatransitionperiodstartswherethecitycommitstotakingresponsibilityfortheresilienceagenda.Thismeansthatyouneedsupportatthehighestleveltoensurethatresilienceisprogressivelyinstitutionalized.InMexicoCity,weareinthattransitionperiod.Inthecaseofanunexpectedevent,TheRockefellerFoundationcanalsoprovideadditionalfinancialsupport.Duetotheearthquakelastyear,MexicoCityreceivedadditionalsupportfromthe100RCtosupportourworkthisyear. Technicalassistanceisalsoprovidedbythe100RCintwoforms:assistancefromaplatformofpartnersworkingonresilienceissuesandsupportfromothercitiesinthenetwork. First,around100organizationsprovideprobonoservicesto100RCmembers.Citiesoftenstartarelationshipwiththoseorganizationsofferingprobonoservicesandprogressivelymovetolong-termprojects.Forexample,inMexicoCity,westartedworkingwiththeWorldBanktocreatearesilienceassessmentframeworkinwater-relatedinvestments.WealsoworkedwithDeltarestocreateawaterresilienceplantopreservetheXochimilco,whichisaUNESCOworldculturalandenvironmentalheritagesite.Wehavebuiltlong-termrelationswiththoseactors.Now,withtheearthquakewearereachingouttotheactorsfromthisplatformtoworkonothertopicsrelatedtoseismic risks. MexicoCityZoomOriginal(jpeg,837k) Second,therearenetworksofcitiesyoucanrequestassistancefrom.Forexample,afewmonthsagoweorganizedinMexicoaworkshopwithnineothercitiestoworkonseismicrisks.Citiescanalsorequestmorespecifictechnicaladvicefromexpertsinthenetwork.InMexicoCity,we’reluckytoshareofficeswiththe100RCLatinAmericaandCaribbeanUnitaswearebuildingaresiliencehubatthecity,nationalandregionallevels. Inyourexperience,whatarethemainchallengesfacedbyaChiefResilienceOfficer?Inparticular,isitpossibleforCROstosetupalong-termresiliencestrategyindependentofthepoliticalagenda? A.M.K:TherearefourmainchallengesforChiefResilienceOfficers:maintaininginterestfromstakeholders,accessingdata,financingprojects,andindeedguaranteeingthesustainabilityoftheresiliencestrategyinthelongterm. Thefirstchallengeistomaintaintheinterestofdifferentactors.This isaprocessandmethodologicalchallenge.ChiefResilienceOfficerskeepengagingwithvariousstakeholders,sowecannotdothesameworkshopeverytime.CROsneedtobecreativeandinnovativeinthewaytheyengagewithstakeholderssothattheykeepcomingandparticipatinginourwork. Thesecondisadatachallenge.Someinstitutionsarestillreluctanttosharetheirdata.Thisisachallengeinmanycities.Insomecases,thedatasimplydoesnotexist,inothercasesresearchersorinstitutionswanttokeeporprotecttheirdatafordifferentreasons.Ofcourse,thereisacomponentofriskwhenreleasingdatatothepublic.Somedatashouldbeprotected.Itisimportanttocreatedebatesonwhatdataisnecessary. Thethirdissueisfindingandfinancinginnovativeprojects.Weneedtobuildrobustprojectsandfindinnovativewaystofinancethem.InMexicoCity,wearecurrentlyworkingwiththeWorldBankandlookingattheresilienceofportfoliosforthewatersystem,sowewillbeabletoprioritizeprojectsaccordingtotheirlevelofresilience. Therelationshipsandpotentialdependencyonpoliticalauthoritiesandelectedrepresentativesisthefourthchallenge.ChiefResilienceOfficersareappointedbymayors.Thismeansthatwhengovernmentchanges,theymayneedtobeassignedagain,whichischallenging.Still,aresiliencestrategyisnotagovernmentstrategybutalong-termcitystrategy:inthecaseofMexicoCity,thehorizonis 2040. Therearemanywaystoreducethedependencyoftheresilienceagendaonpoliticalforces.First,itisimportanttohaveuniversities,companiesandNGOsonboardastheywon’tbesubjecttochangeduringelections.Creatingcoalitions,beyondlocalgovernments,helpsmaintainalong-termagenda.TheinstitutionalizationofresilienceinMexicoCityisalsoabigstepforward.AftertheinclusionofresilienceintheConstitution,aseparateorganization,theResilienceAgency,dedicatedtobuildingresiliencewascreated,ofwhichIamtheGeneralDirector.Ithasadedicatedbudgetandadedicatedteamof11people.Theresilienceagendahasalsobeenpublishedintheofficialdiaryofthegovernment,whichmakesitofficial,soithastobetakenintoaccountbythegovernment.Finally,tolimitthedependencyoncurrentgovernment,wearecreatingamonitoringandevaluationsystemfortheactionsassociatedwiththeResilienceStrategythateveryactorneedstoundertakeinthelongtermforthestrategytobesuccessful. Whendiscussingresilience,citiesareveryoftenattheforefront.Evenso,to whatextentdoChiefResilienceOfficersneedtoconsidergeographicalareasbeyondcitiestoensureresilience? A.M.K:Thereisnoresilienceforthecityifyoudon’tthinkattheregionallevel.Thisisparticularlystrikingforwater.Therightscaleforwateristhewaterbasinsoyouneedtothinkregionallyforwaterresilience.Inthecaseofresiliencetoclimatechange,thescaleisevenwiderasitisaglobalissue.Thisiswhy,inMexico,wewanttobuildnotonlyacityregionalstrategybutsupportanational one. Ibelievethenextstepswouldbetospreadknowledgeonresiliencetoothercitiesandworkwiththelegislativepowertobuildinnovativeresiliencelegislationandfinance. Onthefirstpoint,wealreadyhavetoolstoshareknowledgeandbuildcapacitiesforothercitiestothinkwiththeresiliencelens.Forexample,inMexicothereisanationalriskatlas,aclimatechangeriskatlasthataddressesallmunicipalitiesinthecountry.Thenetworkofcurrentresilientcitiescanalsohelpotherregionsaroundtheworldtointegrateresilienceintheirplanningandtransfertheirknowledgetoothercities. Onthesecondpoint,buildinglegislationinfavorofresilienceprojectsatthenationallevelisalsoveryimportant.InthecaseoftheU.S.,thereisfinancialsupportforresiliencechallengesforinnovativeresilienceprojects,forexample.WearealreadyengagingwithministriesinMexico,butweneedtogofurther.Thisisanopportunityforthecoming years. Topofpage Listofillustrations Title Bangkok URL http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/docannexe/image/4885/img-1.jpg File image/jpeg,736k URL http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/docannexe/image/4885/img-2.png File image/png,95k Title BuenosAires URL http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/docannexe/image/4885/img-3.jpg File image/jpeg,788k URL http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/docannexe/image/4885/img-4.png File image/png,113k Title MexicoCity URL http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/docannexe/image/4885/img-5.jpg File image/jpeg,837k Topofpage References Bibliographicalreference MichaelBerkowitzandArnoldoMatusKramer,« Helpingcitiesdrivetransformation:the100ResilientCitiesInitiative »,FieldActionsScienceReports,SpecialIssue18 | 2018,52-57. Electronicreference MichaelBerkowitzandArnoldoMatusKramer,« Helpingcitiesdrivetransformation:the100ResilientCitiesInitiative »,FieldActionsScienceReports[Online],SpecialIssue18 | 2018,Onlinesince15December2018,connectionon19March2022.URL :http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/4885Topofpage Abouttheauthors MichaelBerkowitz MichaelBerkowitzhasservedsince2013asPresidentof100 ResilientCities-PioneeredbyTheRockefellerFoundation.Previously,hewastheglobalheadofOperationalRiskManagement(ORM)atDeutscheBank.Before2010,hewastheheadofCSBCinAPAC,andeditorofEmergencyPreparednessNews,aWashington,DC-basednewsletterforemergencymanagementprofessionals. ArnoldoMatusKramer ArnoldoMatusKramerhasbeenChiefResilienceOfficerofMexicoCitysince2014.Hehasmorethan15yearsofexperienceinclimatechangeandenvironmentalpolicies.In2012,heco-foundedIthacaEnvironmental,aconsultingfirmprovidingcounselinclimatechange,sustainability,environmentalfinanceandcleantechnologytopics.Topofpage Copyright FieldACTionsScienceReportsestmiseàdispositionselonlestermesdelaLicenceCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0International.Topofpage Contents-Nextdocument Browse Index Authors Keywords Years Fulltextissues 2021SpecialIssue23 2020SpecialIssue21 |SpecialIssue22 2019SpecialIssue19 |SpecialIssue20 2018SpecialIssue18 2017SpecialIssue16 |SpecialIssue17 2016SpecialIssue14 |Vol.9 |SpecialIssue15 2015SpecialIssue13 |Vol.8 2014SpecialIssue9 |SpecialIssue10 |SpecialIssue11 |SpecialIssue12 |Vol.7 2013SpecialIssue7 |SpecialIssue8 2012Vol.6 |SpecialIssue4 |SpecialIssue5 |SpecialIssue6 2011Vol.5 |SpecialIssue3 2010SpecialIssue1 |Vol.4 |SpecialIssue2 2009Vol.2 |Vol.3 2008Vol.1 Allissues AboutFACTSReports AimsandScope Boards Instructionsforauthors Partenaires EditorialsandCommentaries Editorials Commentaries MeetingReports News CallforPapers Callforpapers-closed FACTSEvents Information Contact Publishingpolicies Logosinstitutionnels Followus RSSfeed Newsletters FACTSNewsletter OpenEditionNewsletter Incollaborationwith ElectronicISSN1867-8521 Readdetailedpresentation  Sitemap –Contact –Syndication PrivacyPolicy –AboutCookies OpenEditionJournalsmember –PublishedwithLodel –Administrationonly SearchOpenEditionSearch YouwillberedirectedtoOpenEditionSearch InAllOpenEdition OnFieldActionsScienceReports Search English Français Share Facebook Twitter Google+ "> Home Catalogueof575journalsOpenEditionSearch AllOpenEdition English FrançaisAdigitalresourcesportalforthehumanitiesandsocialsciencesOpenEditionOurplatformsOpenEditionBooksOpenEditionJournalsHypothesesCalendaLibrariesandinstitutionsOpenEditionFreemiumOurservicesOpenEditionSearchNewsletterFollowus OpenEditionBooks Calenda Hypothèses OpenEditionJournals OpenEdition OpenEditionSearch