Many people are familiar with resilience as a personal trait. But did you know it can also be applied to buildings and cities?

Moreover, what do climate change and cybersecurity have in common?

Both are:

• threats to our well-being
• becoming more prevalent
• can be addressed through resilience

You’re probably familiar with the general definition of resilience, which is the ability to recover quickly.

The term usually applies to an individual’s ability to bounce back from a difficult situation, but the concept can apply to so much more.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction defines resilience as:

In other words, we face difficulties every day, be it weather extremes, economic disruptions, technological cyber-attacks, and resource depletions. To sustain a reasonable level of safety and quality in our day-to-day lives, we have to address these hazards through pre-emptive and reactive forms of planning.

A focus on resilience means responding to events that impact the well-being of our society and planet. In addition, it can improve the economic competitiveness of the United States.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at how resilience can be applied to the following topics:

• Buildings and LEED
• Cities
• Individuals
• Cyber

Be sure to check back with us to learn more about resilience.