Resilient Cities

This short review, based on desk research, surveys literature on the work of regional organizations and NDMOs in disaster risk management and draws out some of the themes that may be useful for further examination of the relationship between regional bodies and national organizations in disaster risk management.

This project brings businesses and municipalities together to provide resources and models for incorporating toxics use reduction into emergency preparedness to reduce the risk of industrial accidents.

In cooperation with partners, UNEP assists national and local governments by raising awareness, organizing workshops and trainings, developing evaluation tools and involving cities in international meetings on climate change.

The report discusses the link between climate change and cities, why cities should be concerned about climate change and adopt early preventative policies, and how the World Bank and other organizations can provide further support to cities on climate change issues.

CDC is using its prevention expertise to help state and city health departments investigate, prepare for, and respond to the health effects that climate change may have on people.

Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) integrates information from across the federal government to help people consider their local exposure to climate-related hazards. People working in community organizations or for local, Tribal, state, or Federal governments can use the site to help them develop equitable climate resilience plans to protect people, property, and infrastructure. The site also points users to Federal grant funds for climate resilience projects, including those available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a global phenomenon in which dark, impermeable surfaces and concentrated human activity cause urban temperatures to be several degrees hotter than those in surrounding areas. Urban heat islands impose negative effects on local and global public health, air quality, energy consumption, resilience, quality of life, stormwater management, and environmental justice. Cities across North America experience and mitigate the impacts of UHIs. We conducted a review of the UHI mitigation activities of 26 North American cities and distributed a questionnaire to local government contacts to gather information. This report profiles the causes, impacts, strategies, and social and institutional context of city action in the sampled cities.

Provides information about the causes and consequences of heat islands, as well as a list of relevant reports and research papers.

EIS officers are on the public health frontlines, conducting epidemiologic investigations, research, and public health surveillance both nationally and internationally.

Is your community prepared for a possible flood? Completing this flood resilience checklist can help you begin to answer that question.

Heat islands occur when a developed area experiences higher temperature than nearby rural areas, or when areas experience hotter temperatures within a city. EPA is committed to providing localities with information about heat islands, cooling strategies, implementation examples, and outreach materials to help reduce heat islands and their impacts on communities and neighborhoods.

In this paper, the authors consider the risks to Internet infrastructure in the US due to sea level rise.

The National Climate Assessment is conducted under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, which requires reports to the President and Congress every four years on the status of climate change science and impacts.

When Tropical Storm Irene hit in 2011, communities throughout Vermont experienced devastating impacts to infrastructure, communities, and lives. In 2012, the state of Vermont requested Smart Growth Implementation Assistance from EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The assistance focused on incorporating smart growth principles into state policies, local development regulations, and Hazard Mitigation Plans to increase community flood resilience. As a result of the assistance, EPA developed Planning for Flood Recovery and Long-Term Resilience in Vermont. This report includes: Overall strategies for flood resilience and disaster recovery; Local land use policy options and strategies to improve flood resilienc; State policy options and strategies to improve flood resilience.

This tool, developed collaboratively by GLAA-C and Headwaters Economics, is an interactive look at how the social and economic characteristics of the Great Lakes

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought.

How and where development occurs can have a major impact on how well communities can prepare for and how quickly they can recover from natural disasters. Integrating smart growth approaches into preparedness and recovery can help communities become more resilient to hazards.