The Urban Land Institute’s Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance published a new report this week offering key principles for building resilient cities and regions that are better able to recover from climate-change amplified shocks.

“Ten Principles for Building Resilience” was funded by The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program and the New York Community Trust. It considers the economic, environmental and social factors contributing to resilience, and provides guidance for local and regional leaders, land use professionals, and real estate developers. The findings can help practitioners better design and build strong communities.

Under-resourced neighborhoods are frequently located in areas with significant climate change-related risks such as flooding. 

The report emphasizes a definition of resilience that goes beyond fortifying infrastructure and physical assets. Critical to building resilience are local efforts to strengthen housing markets, the workforce, and social networks. It also encourages an equitable approach to resilience investments so that under-resourced neighborhoods – which are frequently located in areas with significant climate change-related risks such as flooding – can reduce their vulnerability and recover more quickly and equitably after adverse events.

The principles identified in the report are drawn from the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) work over the past five years to enhance resilience in U.S. communities facing a range of climate risks. The principles include: understanding vulnerabilities, strengthening job and housing opportunities, promoting equity, leveraging community assets, redefining how and where to build, building the business case, accurately pricing the cost of inaction, designing with natural systems, maximizing co-benefits, and harnessing innovation and technology.

Marilyn Jordan Taylor, a governing trustee at ULI and a professor of architecture and urban design at the University of Pennsylvania, hopes that the principles and their supporting strategies will empower city and regional leaders, and real estate and land-use professionals to integrate resilience into their work.

“From adequately pricing the cost of risk and inaction to investing in green infrastructure that creates multiple benefits to harnessing the power of innovative technologies to respond to crises and recover,” she said, “this report provides a playbook for communities on the path to becoming more resilient.”