Building Climate Resilience In Cities Worldwide

Cities around the world must expect to deal with climate challenges greater than ever before; some are already facing these today. A myriad of risks, ranging from more extreme weather, the wider spread of hitherto “tropical” diseases and rising sea levels, loom ahead, threatening cities’ functions and the well-being of their residents. The urgency to act on the issue is more apparent for cities that are nexuses of human and economic activity. One way to build resilience lies in a city’s urban landscape and built environment, which play key roles in protecting communities, alleviating potential impacts and unlocking co-benefits. However, transforming cities to become resilient to the impacts of climate change can be an immense challenge — one that cannot be tackled in isolation or without consideration for the economy, public health and the overall quality of life for city-dwellers. A cooperative ecosystem is hence paramount, one in which government and the private sector cooperate to mobilise resources, innovate, empower stakeholders and support one another in the work of building resilience. In the past year, the Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Land Institute have collaborated on a multi-city study (Singapore, Hong Kong, Rotterdam, New York and Miami) to produce a publication that seeks to provide an actionable guide for cities to enhance their climate resilience in cooperation with the private real estate and land use sector. The research draws examples of coastal city strategies and investments, documents international best practices, proposes principles for stronger publicprivate cooperation, and evaluates approaches that are transferable based on a city’s context or risk profile. It covers both municipal and business perspectives, focusing on the built environment, real estate, finance and insurance sectors, with an eye toward mobilising funding and governance structures to effectively raise resilience against the effects of climate change. Under the three themes of Envision, Empower and Execute, the 10 principles for building climate resilience offers a framework for stakeholders in the city — public officials, the private sector, civic organisations and the community — to create an enabling environment in which everyone is aligned to our common goal of achieving climate resilience. By integrating our efforts, we can surpass limits, unlock new value and realise synergies for transformative change. With ULI as a longstanding partner in knowledge sharing, CLC looks forward to continuing the joint commitment to foster liveable cities that are dynamic, vibrant, cohesive, sustainable and climate resilient.

source :

https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/books/building-climate-resilience.pdf