The Brilliance of Resilience
Calgary receiving recognition for sticking it out when times get tough
By Bigoa Machar
Shitty winters, unemployment and floods have all been things that have hit the city of Calgary hard over the past couple of years. While all of these have been tough, the spirit of Calgarians has been tougher, overcoming everything thrown at them and coming out even stronger. For this perseverance, the Rockefeller Foundation has honoured the city by naming it to it’s top 100 resilient cities in the world.
Joining Atlanta, Toronto, Vancouver and Kyoto (among others) in showing excellence in urbanization and overcoming adversity. In addition to getting worldwide recognition, the cities named to this list will receive resources to develop further resilience in the future, including financial and mentorship support.
“As we’ve seen over the past few years, Calgary is a resilient city,” says Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Whether we are responding to the floods of 2013, adapting to the economic downturn, or taking in refugees and evacuees, we have shown the very best of ourselves. We applied to be a member of this network because we know we can become even better. This membership gives us access to some of the leading professional knowledge, analytical tools, planning expertise, and implementation services available in the world. What we learn through our participation in this network will translate into an even more resilient city for our citizens.”
“By understanding how existing challenges are connected, and by planning not just for potential shocks—like fires, floods, and earthquakes—but also for everyday stresses—such as chronic water shortages, crime, violence, economic inequality, and inefficient public transportation—cities can make themselves better in both good times and bad, for all their citizens, states Michael Berkowitz, President of the 100 Resilient Cities project.
With the city quickly continuing to grow larger by the day, it feels nice to be recognized for our accomplishments so far and what we can do in the near future.
