Resilience Matters

Since 2015, the Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has worked to imagine and inspire the sustainable, equitable, resilient cities of the future. The project brings together thought leaders with a broad range of expertise to generate and cross-pollinate ideas. Those ideas are then shared via articles, op-eds, and interviews that are published in prominent online and print media outlets. A compilation of the project’s 2022 work, Resilience Matters: Collective Action for Healthier Communities, was the focus of our first “article” episode.

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The following are key takeaways from the episode:

• Resilience is more than bouncing back: The discussion emphasizes that resilience isn’t just about returning to “normal” following a disaster. True resilience means transforming systems and relationships so that communities can survive and thrive even under stress. This includes anticipating risks, adapting proactively, and ensuring that recovery doesn’t go back to inequitable or unsustainable status quos.

• Justice, trust, and social cohesion: A recurring theme is that without trust — among neighbors, between communities and institutions — resilience cannot take hold. Communities already marginalized often lack that trust or institutional support, which undermines efforts to prepare or respond to crises. Articles in the collection highlight how trust-building and equitable treatment are foundational.

• Localized, community-led action matters: Many of the examples in the episode come from grassroots groups and local initiatives. Whether it’s community science (measuring heat in neighborhoods), flood mitigation, or creating cooling infrastructure, the people closest to the issues often develop the most practical and relevant solutions.

• Evolving understanding of resilience: Over the past decade, “resilience” has shifted from being a buzzword to a broader, more nuanced framework. Key developments include:

  • Recognition that climate impacts exacerbate existing inequalities (e.g. neighborhoods with less green space suffering more from extreme heat).

  • More attention to mental health, especially for those on the front lines of climate and environmental work.

  • Growing intersection between environmental/climatic stressors and other social issues (aging populations, policy gaps, infrastructure under strain).

• Policy, funding, and the importance of scale: The discussion also covers how policy and funding frameworks need to support resilience over longer time horizons. Things like improved building codes, disaster mitigation planning, and equitable infrastructure investment are raised as critical. Importantly, many policies need to be informed by data and lived experience.