Urban Resilience
Helping Cities Build More Resilient Infrastructure & Societal Systems
Cities and large metropolitan regions face a range of growing challenges from climate change and increasing urbanization: rising sea levels, droughts and extreme heat, changes in precipitation and storm patterns, population growth and land use changes, and other uncertain but significant drivers. Moreover, to respond effectively, city planners must work across traditional jurisdictional boundaries and with a wide range of stakeholders to resolve key tradeoffs and identify consensus, implementable solutions.
WCRC helps decisionmakers in urban regions understand and respond to the effects of climate change and other key drivers, building resilience and adaptive capacity to current and emerging challenges.
RAND was selected by the City of Pittsburgh to serve as its Strategy Partner for the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilience Cities Initiative. RAND supported the city's development of
OnePGH, a city-wide resilience strategy designed to help local decisionmakers respond, adapt, and grow in the face of chronic, urban stresses and acute shocks.
Featured Projects
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Urban stormwater management is a growing challenge in many U.S. cities. An evaluation of Pittsburgh's Negley Run watershed, an urgent flood-risk challenge, shows investment in green stormwater infrastructure could reduce flooding and provide net positive economic benefits.
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What are the potential effects of climate change and sea level rise on flood risk, ecosystems, and water quality in New York City's Jamaica Bay? How can flood risk be reduced while also improving water quality, restoring habitat, and improving resilience to extreme weather events?
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Computational models are essential tools to support resilience planning for Jamaica Bay. Models connect observations with hypotheses and theories about how physical and social systems work, allowing scientists to articulate and test system understanding against data.
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Florida's Miami-Dade and Broward counties are vulnerable to flooding and intrusion of saltwater into drinking water. These risks are driven by sea level rise, changes in precipitation, and urban development. How can the region adapt?
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A literature review examines definitions, themes, and guidance surrounding community resilience to flood risk. What decision support tools exist to help communities with flood mitigation efforts, and how have they been used in the past?
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Climate change can significantly affect water quality, but most plans for meeting water quality standards in the USA assume stationary climate. A robust decision making analysis shows how climate change could impact water quality in the Tujunga Wash, the largest subwatershed of the Los Angeles River.
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Resilience projects have costs and benefits for communities, regardless of whether a shock or stressor occurs. Developing a framework for estimating the net benefits of resilience interventions will help policymakers and investors achieve the greatest possible benefits.
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Policymakers, program practitioners, and investors who want to achieve the greatest possible benefits from resilience projects lack effective tools to estimate the net benefits of those projects. Existing approaches often do not provide a sufficient framework for estimating the benefits that might accrue, especially if a shock or stress does not occur.
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The city of Pittsburgh and its surrounding region face significant—and potentially growing—stormwater management challenges. Analysis can help better understand the system's vulnerabilities and identify solutions.
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RAND partnered with the city of Pittsburgh to develop the city's first city-wide Resilience Strategy. Known as OnePGH, it's a comprehensive plan to address the current and future challenges that confront the city and its residents.
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The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Region faces major challenges in managing its water resources, and lacks key information about climate change and future vulnerability. A framework is needed to evaluate options and identify cost-effective solutions.
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Pittsburgh is struggling to manage and improve its aging water system, with a focus on elevated lead levels for many customers. What steps could help steer the city toward a permanent solution and protect future generations?
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Hurricane Sandy highlighted the importance of efforts to promote resilience. Flood insurance is a key component, but it's hard to afford for some households in New York City. What are some options for a program that helps reduce the impact of higher premiums?
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The Jinan Municipal Water Resources Bureau, with support from the Shandong Provincial Department of Water Resources, asked RAND to evaluate potential effects of demand and climate uncertainties on investments recently undertaken according to the Jinan City Water Ecological Development Implementation Plan. The RAND research team, led by David Groves and Debra Knopman, also assessed the potential of new investments and management strategies to help Jinan meet its long-term water resources goals.
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Flood insurance is an important part of community resilience, but coverage in New York City is inconsistent, and difficult for many families to afford. However, there are promising financial assistance options.
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More than 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas. Thus, cities lie at the epicenter of America's response to climate change. Analysis can inform how cities choose strategies and allocate resources.
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Exposure to natural hazards such as flooding, drought, and wildfires is projected to be larger and more uncertain in the future due to the effects of sea level rise and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns.
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The Presidential Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force developed guidelines to ensure that federal agencies incorporate key principles of resilience into their formulation, evaluation, and prioritization of infrastructure investments related to Sandy rebuilding. An initial assessment of the implementation of the guidelines identifies opportunities and challenges.
