flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Report: Top storm-resilient cities have high adaptive capacity

Report: Top storm-resilient cities have high adaptive capacity

Adaptability centers on infrastructure, resources to bounce back from disasters


By BD+C Staff | May 8, 2014
Photo: Matthiasb via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matthiasb via Wikimedia Commons

The most resilient cities in the world, including six in the U.S., have attributes that would enable them to recover better than others from devastating natural disasters.

A report by Grosvenor examined 50 major cities around the world and ranked them on their vulnerability and adaptive capacity in terms of their infrastructure, community, resources, environment, and climate.

Two-thirds of people will live in urban areas by 2050, according to U.N. estimates, so city planners face daunting challenges to cope with the impact of climate change and population growth. The top three resilient cities are Canadian (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary), and six of the top 10 are from the U.S., led by Chicago and Pittsburgh.

The report examines five categories of vulnerability: climate, environment, resources, infrastructure, and community. The five categories of adaptability include governance, institutions, technical capacity, planning systems, and funding structures.

“Resources,” encompasses a city’s access to energy, food, and water. “Funding structures” covers the ability to borrow and tap into national and international money.

“The strong U.S. ranking is due to adaptive capacity, where resources, public accountability of elected officials, and the technology of the U.S. are dominating factors,” the report says. “This suggests that U.S. cities will continue to see a pattern of effective public intervention, but often only after a major shock has occurred.”“The least resilient cities are the ones facing the greatest pressure to grow,” the report says. “High rates of population growth, while beneficial to production and culture in the long term, are likely to challenge improved adaptive capacity in the short term.”

(http://www.fastcoexist.com/3029442/the-10-most-resilient-cities-in-the-world)

Related Stories

| Mar 4, 2014

Massachusetts Congressional delegation asks FEMA to slow flood zone map requirements

After a recent successful challenge of the scientific methodology used to redraw the coastal high-hazard zones, the Massachusetts congressional delegation is asking federal officials to put the brakes on new flood zone maps for the Bay State.

| Mar 3, 2014

Injury-liability law responsible for higher construction insurance cost in New York

Construction contractors and developers in New York state face $3 billion more in costs and 667 more accidents per year because of a state law that holds builders solely liable for such accidents, according to a study commissioned by the New York Civil Justice Institute.

| Feb 28, 2014

GBI issues guide to help federal agencies meet sustainability mandates

The Green Building Initiative has released “The Guiding Principles Compliance for New Construction,” for federal buildings to help federal agencies meet sustainability mandates in the construction of new buildings.

| Feb 28, 2014

Steel Joist Institute standards open for review

The 2015 draft of the Steel Joist Institute’s “Single Joist Standard Specification for K-, LH-, and DLH-Series and Joist Girders” will be available for public review until May 31, 2014.

| Feb 28, 2014

Metcalf Construction wins key reversal from federal appeals court in Hawaii on military contract

Metcalf spent more than $76 million on a military construction project and sued to recoup costs.

| Feb 19, 2014

Obama Administration moves to boost fuel efficiency standards on heavy-duty vehicles

The Obama Administration wants to boost fuel efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks for models made in 2019 and later.

| Feb 19, 2014

Net Positive Energy + Water is latest green certification standard

The advancement of sustainable construction has reached a new milestone with the development of Net Positive Energy+Water, a new green building certification standard that aims to improve net zero approaches to energy and water conservation.

| Feb 19, 2014

Obama’s climate resilience panel says PVs, cool roofs should be part of solution

Among the suggestions were rooftop solar energy systems and cool roofs, which could be encouraged by policies from local governments.

| Feb 19, 2014

OSHA proposes three-year postponement of crane operator certification requirement

OSHA’s proposal to postpone the compliance date for crane operator certification by three years was made official on Feb. 7 when it was published in the Federal Register.

| Feb 19, 2014

USGBC introduces new online educational platform

The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced “Education @USGBC” a new educational platform.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021