Uncategorized

Resilience Should Apply to Buildings, Cities, People & the Web

How buildings, cities, and people can be resilient

Resilience Should Apply to Buildings, Cities, People & the Web

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

resilience and security image

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:

“The ability of a system, community, or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to, and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions.”

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.

About Lesley Baulding

Lesley has been passionately advocating for and working with green building and renewable energy since 2009. She has experience with LEED certification, home energy auditing, blower door testing, solar energy, and more. She holds many certifications, including LEED Green Associate and NABCEP Certification. Her work has won numerous awards over the past decade.