Amman becomes member of 100 Resilient Cities

AMMAN — The 100 Resilient Cities (100RC), pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, on Wednesday announced that 35 cities from around the world, including Amman, have been invited to join the 100 Resilient Cities Network. 

The announcement was made during the Rockefeller Foundation’s Urban Resilience Summit in Singapore, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times. 

"This second wave of cities will join 32 cities that won last  year’s 100 Resilient Cities Challenge, forming a growing network of urban centres around the world that are ready to respond to the social, economic and physical shocks and stresses that are a growing part of the 21st century," the statement said. 

100RC was created by an initial $100 million commitment by the Rockefeller Foundation as part of their centennial last year, recognising the trends of urbanisation and globalisation that characterise this century.   

“Members of the 100 Resilient Cities network are leading the world in showing that not only is it possible to build urban resilience in every kind of city, but it’s an imperative,” the statement quoted Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin as saying. 

“Cities are learning that by building resilience, not only will they be better prepared for the bad times, but also life is better in the good times, especially for the poor and vulnerable. It’s smart investment, and yields a resilience dividend that is a win for everyone.”

Why Resilient Cities? 

As the number of people living in urban areas grows from 50 per cent of the world’s population to an estimated 70 per cent in 2050, cities around the world must cope with effects of rapid urbanisation, globalisation, climate change, and natural and man-made disasters. 

Urban resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems to survive, adapt and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience. 

From the impact of super-typhoons, to growing socio-economic inequality or the ability of city systems to respond to booming populations and waning food supplies, 100RC aims to equip urban areas with the tools and support network to design, develop and implement holistic solutions.

“Each city is unique, and through the 100RC network, cities are building on each other’s experiences and learning the best resilience-building techniques,” 100RC President Michael Berkowitz said.

“By connecting cities with each other and to resilience-building experts, we are aiming to create a global practice of scalable resilience solutions, so that cities can respond to the challenges of this urban century more effectively and efficiently.”

Global Network 

The diverse list reflects the need to learn from cities of all sizes across the globe in order to adapt and innovate.The cities in the network face myriad sets of environmental and social challenges — ranging from rising threats of flooding and extreme weather, to intensifying strains on infrastructure and health systems, and deepening economic stresses — and are on different points of their journey towards building a more resilient metropolis, the statement said.

Each city on the network is eligible to receive grant funding to hire a chief resilience officer, who will lead the analysis, planning and implementation of the city’s resilience strategy, working with different government agencies and across sectors of society. 

They will also receive the needed technical support and services as they work towards implementing that strategy, as well as access a variety of platform partners in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. These partners will offer tools in areas such as innovative finance, technology, infrastructure, land use, and community and social resilience, the statement said.

Selection Process 

Momentum from last year’s inaugural challenge made this year highly competitive, spanning over 90 countries across six continents. This year’s cities were chosen from nearly 350 applicants on the basis of their ability to demonstrate a unique vision for resilience, a long-term commitment to cutting across silos of government and sectors of society, and special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable

Network cities serve as a model for other global cities that seek to build their own resilience. 

Member cities were selected upon the recommendation of an international panel of judges, including José María Figueres Olsen, former president of Costa Rica; Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank; Isher Ahluwalia, chairperson of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations board of governors; and Josette Sheeran, president and CEO of the Asia Society. 

The 100 Resilient Cities Challenge will open for its next round of city applications in mid-2015.