What do Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and London have in common?
They may have very different needs and priorities but they share a common interest in resilience – a determination to be prepared for whatever. They are all members of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Network – 100RC.
Today marks the start of the 2017 Urban Resilience Summit – a major gathering of Urban Resilience experts in New York. Local leaders in the UK – even if not attending in New York – will listen to the proceedings with keen interest.
We didn’t need this year’s terrorist incidents, floods and a tower fire to highlight the need for enhanced response-abilities but local Chief Resilience Officers know that proficient planning pays dividends.
100RC is just 4 years old but in that short time the network has made great strides – fuelled by Judith Rodin’s ‘Resilience Dividend’ and financed in large part by 100 ‘Platform Partners’.
Resilience is a hugely important theme for local leaders and sits alongside a series of programmes that have a huge influence on local economic growth and community wellbeing. With cities growing fast the challenges of local management demand ever-greater empowerment to develop local responses to local priorities.
Some put their faith in technology – enhancing the scope for knowing what is going on across all aspects of urban life – traffic, weather, crime, health, air quality, river levels and a host of environmental factors.
Conventional sector-based economic analysis in this context provides few useful clues. Far more importantly, the themes that cut across sector silos provide a rich agenda for Urban Resilience Officers.
- Business start-ups and many established ventures need knowledge workers and a host of new skills.
- Hospitals need citizens who can engage with remote diagnosis. Commuters need better information on public transport.
- Whole cities need skilled advocates to attract inward investment.
These are just a few of the themes that mark out the differences between ‘smart cities’ and those who could claim to be developing intelligent communities.
Investing in resilience is far more than assurance against unexpected disasters – for some shifts might be better-described as lost opportunities. The key lies with mayors and local leaders who are enabled to develop a holistic view of local needs – not just for economic growth but for wider societal wellbeing.
That is why, in June 2018, the Global Summit for the Intelligent Community Forum will be hosted in London to bring together mayors and civic leaders from around the world. Resilient Place-Making – a local priority – has become central to survival.
Groupe Intellex 
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