Resilient Cities Network

For us, the spirit of these last days of the year is, without doubt, the spirit of resilience. 2024 has been a challenging year. 💡Throughout the year, we have shared stories of cities that stand in contrast to the tensions rising globally—within and between countries. In 2024, we saw more climate disasters, clear evidence of how the actions—or inaction—of cities determine the number of people affected. 💜 We also witnessed how communities rose up and supported each other. Over the past two months, we have showcased cities engaging with communities and taking action to enhance their resilience. We had to close the year by sharing 5 more inspiring city stories with you. 😉 Thank you for engaging with us. We look forward to sharing more next year! 🎉Happy festivities! #CitiesSolveCitiesDeliver #CommunityResilience #R4C Kathryn Oldham OBE, Elissavet Bargianni, Vangelis Marinakis, David Nash, Manon Parmentier, Alan Steinberg, Simge Tuna, Kelli Borden, Heang Leung Rubin, Liz Atherton, Nicholas Leslie, Frances Jones, Pauline Johnston, Elizabeth Twigge (Skull)... +

💫 A Step Forward in Penang's Resilience Journey! When cities embrace collaboration, they unlock the innovation and shared responsibility needed to address climate challenges. This week, Penang showcased this at the Visioning and Implementation Resilience Strategy Workshop. 🔹"Let us refine our collective goals, strengthen collaboration, and make Penang a model for the world to follow," said Amarjit Sandhu, Corporate Vice President of Assembly and Test Nand Operation at Micron, emphasizing the power of partnership to drive meaningful change. The workshop brought together 56 participants from the state and cities governments, civil society, and local organizations to refine Penang’s four resilience pillars—urban water, urban heat, urban future, and enabling environment. Participants explored 12 portfolios and 45 projects to address challenges like rising temperatures, frequent flooding, and water scarcity, which threaten the city's resilience. 🔹"The challenges we face today require us to act now—not just to adapt, but to preserve the uniqueness of what we have for generations to come," said Hamdan Majeed, Managing Director of Think City, highlighting the urgency of climate action. The workshop showcased the power of collaboration through the partnership between the City Councils of Penang Island and Seberang Perai, the Penang State Government, Micron Foundation, and R-Cities, and the support of Think City. This effort highlights how inclusive participation and shared responsibility can help cities build resilience and adapt to climate challenges. 🌏 Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai | Penang State Government | Micron Foundation | Micron Technology | Think City

Across Europe, energy prices and the cost-of-living keep rising has become a familiar trend of recent years. Can cities act to reduce the burden on families? The City of Athens has made history as the first in Europe to eliminate fees for energy-poor households. Energy poverty occurs when a household cuts back on heating, cooling or using appliances they depend on to make ends meet. Athens' policy approach directly reduces the cost of energy on families facing energy poverty while offering solutions through its Energy Poverty Alleviation Office to assist families in making their homes more energy efficient. The climate transition must be just in order to succeed. This action is helping Athens lead the way. NetZeroCitiesEU Elissavet Bargianni Vangelis Marinakis Alvaro Soldevila

A big welcome to Melinda Dewsnap, the new Chief Resilience Officer for Greater Sydney and a valued addition to the R-Cities network! 🌏 As an experienced sustainability leader, Mel has a proven track record of delivering data-driven climate action, fostering community, government, and industry partnerships, and advancing net-zero buildings and resilient high-density precincts. Through her passion for leveraging city partnerships, Mel is committed to accelerating national and global efforts to build inclusive, sustainable, and resilient cities. We’re excited to have her on board and look forward to seeing her impact in Sydney and beyond! 🌱

When organized and supported, young people are powerful leaders and catalysts for change. When the Resilience4Communities #R4C program began working with the City of Houston in the Alief community, young leaders stood out as a force of resilience to build on and expand from. In a hardworking community like Alief, where adults often juggle multiple jobs and have limited time for community engagement, young people play a crucial role in stepping up. AliefVotes recognizes the gap that young people could fill and creates spaces for residents to engage, learn and act. With R4C, the city and residents collaborated to identify resilience challenges and co-design solutions for the community. To support these efforts, the program is providing funds to AliefVotes, empowering them to build leadership opportunities and lead youth-driven initiatives focused on extreme heat and emergency preparedness. #CitiesSolveCitiesDeliver #CommunityResilience

🌍✨ Missed our recent #CitiesontheFrontline session, "Breaking Down Risk in a Changing Climate"? Jointly organized by Resilient Cities Network and Zurich North America, the session explored how various stakeholders in urban settings perceive, understand, and respond to climate risks, drawing on examples from Milan. 💬 Moderated by Nathaniel Echeverria, Resilience Finance and North America Engagement Lead at Resilient Cities Network and Kelli Borden, Head of Underwriting Quality & Governance, and R4C Program Lead for Zurich North America, the session brought together an insightful panel of experts: 🔹David Edsey - Climate Director, VP at Zurich North America 🔹Ilaria Giuliani - Chief Resilience Officer for Milan 🔹Lisa Bitossi - Consultant, Programme Management, Climate Solutions and Network for C40 Milan This session kicked off our 3-Part Special Edition of Cities on the Frontline, #TheUrbanResilienceSeries. Check out the summary and rewatch the recording⬇️: https://lnkd.in/ey4cSJFZ

When women have access to employment, safe transportation and the necessities of life like water, cities and societies are stronger and more resilient. This month, our team participated in an exchange celebrating Women in Resilience in Guadalajara alongside guests from Salvador and Barcelona. Together, R-Cities and the Institute for Planning and Development Management of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (IMEPLAN) recognized the Mulher Salvador program training women for the job market and solar energy installation as a reference for inclusion and empowerment among proposals from across Latin America. The initiative was included as an exemplary policy in the Metropolitan Resilience and Governance Policy guide developed in a collaboration between the metropolitan areas of Barcelona and Guadalajara with financial support from the European Union. The Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara and the State of Jalisco highlighted programs that promote safe biking for women and children, commercial driver training for women and harvesting rain to alleviate the burden of water scarcity that primarily falls on women in the household. Together with partners in Salvador and Barcelona, they are demonstrating how gender inclusion is essential to building a more resilient future for all. Martha Patricia Martínez Barba | Jordana Vásquez | Mario Ramón Silva Rodríguez | Ramon M. Torra i Xicoy | Prefeitura de Salvador | Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) | Instituto de Planeación y Gestión del Desarrollo del AMG | Fernanda Lordêlo | Nathália Peixoto

Introducing Kamariah binti Ramli, the new Chief Resilience Officer of Seberang Perai and a valuable addition to the R-Cities network! 🌟 With a degree in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Technology Malaysia, Kamariah brings over 25 years of experience to this critical role. As Deputy Director of the Town Planning Department for Seberang Perai City Council, she has been instrumental in shaping the city’s urban development and planning initiatives. We’re excited to welcome Kamariah to our CRO community and look forward to her leadership in advancing resilience efforts for a sustainable and inclusive future in Seberang Perai and beyond. 🌏

On behalf of the Resilient Cities Network, many congratulations to Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Deputy Mayor Penelope Komites-Valadaresés, Chief Resilience Officer Sabine Romon, and the entire resilience team for the launch of Paris' new Resilience Strategy. Paris has long been a leader in urban resilience, inspiring cities worldwide with initiatives like the OASIS Schoolyard project. This new strategy deepens its commitment to community engagement, ensuring resilience is not just a policy but a lived reality. Through bold leadership and global knowledge-sharing, Paris continues to set a high bar, proving that resilience requires collaboration across sectors, stakeholders, and communities. Congratulations on this milestone, and thank you for your unwavering dedication to building a resilient future for all.

Another milestone from Ville de Paris! The city wraps up 2024—a decade since the resilience movement began—with their ⚡newly updated resilience strategy! ⚡ It was such an empowering event. Penelope Komites-Valadares highlighted Paris’ decade-long commitment to resilience, showcasing efforts to address risks, strengthen community ties, and unite stakeholders and all levels of government around shared goals. 🌟 A journey we’ve been proud to witness and support every step of the way. With the signing of Paris’ Charter of Commitment for Resilience, city agencies, the administration, and partners reaffirmed their dedication to building a safer, thriving future for all. Sabine Romon, Lina Liakou