100 Resilient Cities

100 Resilient Cities
Someformofhuman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	100 Resilient Cities
Type	Nonprofit initiative
Founded	2013
Founder	Rockefeller Foundation
Dissolved	2019 (programmatic closure)
Headquarters	New York City
Fields	Urban resilience, disaster risk reduction

100 Resilient Cities was an initiative launched to help cities worldwide become more resilient to physical, social, and economic challenges. Founded by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2013 with leadership connections to figures linked to Michael Bloomberg and Benigno Aquino III–era urban reformers, the initiative worked with municipal governments, international bodies, and private firms to mainstream resilience planning. Its network spanned capitals and secondary cities, interacting with institutions such as the World Bank, United Nations agencies including UN-Habitat, and philanthropic actors like the Ford Foundation and Gates Foundation.

History

100 Resilient Cities grew out of post-2010 urban agendas influenced by events such as Hurricane Sandy, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and policy frameworks including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for Action. The program was announced by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2013 and staffed with experts drawn from organizations such as Arup Group, McKinsey & Company, and the World Resources Institute. Early city partners included capitals like New York City, London, Manila, and Istanbul and regional centers such as Bengaluru, Lagos, and São Paulo. The initiative expanded alongside global processes like the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement before the Rockefeller Foundation began closing direct program operations in 2019, prompting transitions to local governments, municipal alliances such as C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and consultancies including AECOM and Deloitte.

Mission and Objectives

The initiative’s stated mission aligned with resilience priorities reflected by the United Nations and the World Bank Group: to help cities prepare for acute shocks and chronic stresses exemplified by events like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, and chronic pressures traced in studies from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Objectives emphasized the appointment of a Chief Resilience Officer, development of resilience strategies, and access to financial instruments modeled on instruments used by European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank. The approach referenced best practice from urban planning traditions in Singapore, water management models in Amsterdam, and public health responses documented by World Health Organization.

Programs and Initiatives

Core programs included placement of a Chief Resilience Officer in partner cities, the drafting of city resilience strategies, and networks for knowledge exchange via conferences similar to World Urban Forum and partnerships with academic institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University College London, and the London School of Economics. Pilot initiatives addressed hazards documented in case studies from New Orleans and Tokyo, resilience finance pilots drawing on mechanisms tested by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and insurance models from Munich Re. Technical assistance teams worked with municipal agencies, urban utilities exemplified by Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (Manila) and transit authorities comparable to Transport for London, while toolkits referenced datasets from NASA, NOAA, and World Bank analytical units.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprised hundreds of cities including global capitals such as Paris, Mexico City, Cairo, and cities of varied scale like Bristol, Durban, Belo Horizonte, and Kabul. Governance involved the Rockefeller Foundation board, senior advisers drawn from figures associated with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clinton Foundation, and specialists from UN-Habitat and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. City participation required municipal commitments similar to those in C40 Cities agreements; municipal leaders—mayors akin to Bill de Blasio, Boris Johnson, and Anne Hidalgo—endorsed resilience officers and strategies in coordination with local councils and city planning commissions.

Funding and Partnerships

Initial funding derived from the Rockefeller Foundation with supplemental grants and technical partnerships involving The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Ford Foundation, corporate partners like Google, Microsoft, and professional services firms including EY and PwC. Investments and finance partnerships referenced multilateral financiers such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and private capital mobilizers like BlackRock in pilot projects. Academic partnerships included research from Columbia University, Harvard University, and University of California, Berkeley, while implementation relied on consultancies like McKinsey & Company, design firms such as Arup Group, and insurance partners like Swiss Re.

Impact and Criticism

Impact claims cited adoption of resilience strategies by cities including Barcelona, Bogotá, and Jakarta, cross-city knowledge transfer at events like the Resilient Cities Congress, and influence on policy streams connected to the Sustainable Development Goals. Independent assessments referenced by think tanks such as Brookings Institution, World Resources Institute, and International Institute for Environment and Development noted contributions to institutional capacity and strategy formation. Criticism came from commentators in media outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times and scholars at institutions such as London School of Economics and University of Oxford who questioned sustainability of external funding, private-sector contracting practices involving AECOM and Deloitte, perceived technocratic framing noted by Harvard Kennedy School analysts, and the long-term continuity of programs after the Rockefeller Foundation drawdown. Debates continue in forums like UN-Habitat meetings and among networks including ICLEI and C40 Cities about legacy, equity, and local ownership.

Category:Urban resilience