Liveable Cities Challenge PH: RESILIENCE

In the face of a climate-defined future, Philippine cities and towns are at high risk of the stresses and shocks that stronger, more frequent, and more destructive typhoons will bring about. Natural hazards not only kill, injure, and affect thousands of Filipinos every year; they also destroy homes, livelihoods, and businesses, displace people, and disrupt economic activities. It has become evident that if these stresses and shocks are to be reduced or minimized, our towns and cities need to reverse the current reactive approach to disasters of merely repairing or rebuilding what had been damaged before the disaster, to strengthening and improving resilience to future disasters.

Resilience is defined as the ability to plan and prepare for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events. City resilience is the capacity of cities to function, so that the people living and working there, particularly the poor and the vulnerable, survive and thrive no matter what stresses or shocks they encounter (Rockefeller Foundation).

For our cities and towns to become disaster-resilient, the most critical considerations include: 1) the impact of disasters on people’s livelihood, especially that of the poor; 2) the effects of climate change on people’s food and water supply; and 3) the degradation of the natural environment that reduces nature’s defense capacity against natural hazards.

At the forefront of building disaster-resilient cities and towns are the local government units themselves (LGUs) who in almost all cases are the first responders during times of calamities.

Join us in our next session of the Liveable Cities Lab on Building Resilient Cities and Towns on 21 October 2020 (Wednesday), 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. (Sign up now! http://bit.ly/LCCLAB7RESILIENCE ) as we exchange knowledge, experiences, and insights between LGUs and professionals from the fields of climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, urban and environmental planning, and Information and Communication Technology, as we work together to help strengthen the Philippine Cities and Towns to be more resilient.

Should you have any questions/inquiries regarding this event please feel free to email us at admin@liveablecities.ph

Thank you and we look forward to your participation!