Extreme weather events are among the most dangerous shocks that plague cities and are becoming increasingly common as a result of climate change, impacting people's livelihood and well-being, especially the most vulnerable. In 2022 alone, the catastrophic extreme weather and climate disasters that impacted the United States are estimated to have cost at least $1 billion each, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

 

For the first Cities on the Frontline Speaker Series of 2023, jointly organized by the Resilient Cities Network and the World Bank, we will be joined by R-Cities Regional Director for North America, Laurian Farrell, David Nash, Senior Manager for Climate Change and Partnerships at the Z Zurich Foundation, and Jordana Vasquez, Program Manager for R-Cities' flagship program on flood and heat resilience, Resilience for Communities (R4C). R4C is designed to strengthen climate resilience and address social inequities at the community level, by looking at the question of how we define resilience at the community level, and perhaps most crucially, who gets to define resilience. During the session, we will discuss the community-focused methodology behind implementation, track current progress in Houston, and share some of the lessons we have learned so far.