The Rockefeller Foundation Announces Inaugural Members Of 100 Resilient Cities Network

- 33 Cities from across Six Continents to Benefit

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation today announces the first 33 cities selected to join the 100 Resilient Cities network. The cities were selected from nearly 400 applicants across six continents. In applying for the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge cities were required to submit their visions, needs and plans to build resilience in a way that connects government, the private sector and civil society, and specifically addresses the needs of their poor and vulnerable citizens. The announcement of the selected cities will be made during The Rockefeller Foundation's third annual Innovation Forum titled, "Building Resilient Cities."

The selected cities are:

"We first announced the 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge on May 14, and since then we have seen amazing interest and momentum around urban resilience," said Dr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "The 33 cities named today represent a diversity of urban resilience needs, and as the inaugural members of the 100 Resilient Cities Network they have much to share with and learn from each other. We are excited to get to work so that this dynamic group of cities are better prepared to withstand the shocks and stresses of our disruptive world."

Building resilience is about making people, communities, and systems better prepared to withstand catastrophic events – both natural and manmade – and more able to bounce back quickly and stronger. Through the 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge, cities from around the world were invited to apply to join the new 100 Resilient Cities network. Cities were selected upon the recommendation of a distinguished panel of judges from around the world, including former presidents Clinton and Obasanjo.  

"The cities selected for the 100 Resilient Cities Network range from megacities to small regional hubs, coastal to land-locked, ancient to modern, yet are grappling with so many of the same challenges, including climate change adaptation, outdated infrastructure, and better meeting the needs of their most vulnerable citizens. Each of these cities knows that building resilience requires partners from every sector, and 100 Resilient Cities will catalyze new relationships to technologies and resources to help ensure that each city is a center of growth and opportunity, no matter what stress comes its way," said Michael Berkowitz, CEO of 100 Resilient Cities and Managing Director for 100 Resilient Cities at The Rockefeller Foundation.

As part its commitment to building urban resilience, and as an efficient means of offering cities an innovative and dynamic platform of tools and resources, The Rockefeller Foundation is creating a new organization, called 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100 Resilient Cities), first announced at the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in September. Joining the Foundation in its CGI commitment are partners Palantir, Swiss Re, the World Bank, the American Institute of Architects, and Architecture for Humanity.

Through 100 Resilient Cities, each city will receive:

1. Membership in a new network. 100 Resilient Cities is creating the 100 Resilient Cities Network, which will provide support to member cities, share new knowledge and resilience best practices and foster new connections and partnerships.
2. Support to hire or fund a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO). The creation of this innovative new role will help ensure resilience building and coordination is the specific responsibility of one person in a city government. The CROs will also oversee the development of a resilience plan for the city and be part of a learning network of other CROs as representatives to the 100 Resilient Cities Network.
3. Support to create a resilience plan that reflects each city's distinct needs.
4. An innovative platform to provide tools and resources for implementation of the plan focused on four areas: innovative finance, innovative technology, infrastructure and land use, and community and social resilience from partners such as Swiss Re, Palantir, the American Institute of Architects, Architecture for Humanity, and the World Bank.

The 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge will open for its next round of city applications in mid-2014.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, The Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact. In today's dynamic and interconnected world, The Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to address the emerging challenges facing humankind through innovation, intervention and influence in order to shape agendas and inform decision making. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org

About 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation 

100 Resilient Cities is dedicated to supporting cities to adopt and incorporate a resilience mindset in their planning, development, and community-building so that they are better prepared for and can quickly rebound from 21st century shocks and stresses. 100 Resilient Cities enables cities around the world to develop and implement resilience plans, provides city leaders a forum to share and learn from others' experiences, and connects them with suppliers, thinkers, and stakeholders who can help them improve their city's resilience. 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation is financially supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and managed as a sponsored project by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides governance and operational infrastructure to its sponsored projects. Learn more about RPA at www.rockpa.org.  

CONTACT: Carey Meyers, office: +1-212-852-8486, mobile: +1-347-409-3588, cmeyers@rockfound.org, B-Roll available