Funds to hire a "Chief Resilience Officer" and technical support to develop a "Resilience Strategy" have been promised to Atlanta after its selection to join the Rockefeller Foundation-supported 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) network.
“This partnership will allow our city to leverage tools which will support our vision to become an even better city tomorrow, and for future generations,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a prepared statement.
Atlanta was one of 37 cities from around the world chosen recently for 100RC, bringing the number of municipalities enrolled in the program to its full complement of 100. Other U.S. cities joining the group are Greater Miami, Honolulu, Louisville, Nashville, Minneapolis, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
"Atlanta is a cosmopolitan city that celebrates a diverse cultural tradition, high levels of education, and the third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.," the 100RC website says. "However, the city's success has also led to an overtaxed transportation system. … A lack of affordable transportation options also exacerbates growing inequality, impeding the city's neediest from access to food centers and economic opportunities."
Atlanta will be eligible for tools and services valued at more than $200 million from 100RC partners in government, private industry, academia and the nonprofit community. Partners have expertise in such areas as innovative financing, technology, infrastructure, land use and community and social resilience.
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