25 May 100 RESILIENT CITIES AND THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION WELCOME GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES INTO GLOBAL RESILIENCE-BUILDING NETWORK

Today Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, Miami Mayor Tomás P. Regalado, and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, joined by The Rockefeller Foundation Chief Operating Officer Peter Madonia and Amy Armstrong, Director of City Relationships at 100 Resilient Cities, celebrated their region’s selection to the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) global network. The mayors announced the joint selection from the Perez Art Museum Miami, noting that by entering the 100RC network, the Miami region will be better equipped to solve local challenges around transportation, economic equality, sea level rise, aging infrastructure, and more.

100RC is a $164 million effort founded by The Rockefeller Foundation in 2013, focused on helping cities around the world build resilience to the social, economic, and physical challenges of the 21st century. As members of the 100RC Network, Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami and the City of Miami Beach will receive funding and support for Chief Resilience Officers (CROs) – innovative new positions within local government. A CRO to be appointed at the City of Miami will partner with Miami-Dade County CRO James Murley and Miami Beach CRO Susanne Torriente and will work directly with county and city leaders to develop a joint Resilience Strategy. The county and cities will receive technical support through 100RC to develop a Resilience Strategy that reflects the region’s collective needs and its capacity to address them, along with the support and services to implement that vision. This strategy will involve outreach to and coordination with the other 32 municipalities in the region.

The cities will also gain access to 100RC Platform Partners in the private, public, academic, and nonprofit sectors. Partners offer tools and services valued at over $200 million – at no direct cost to the region – in areas such as innovative finance, technology, infrastructure, land use, and community and social resilience.

“Miami is ground zero for some of the most common and pressing challenges facing cities in the 21^stCentury,” said Peter Madonia, Chief Operating Officer of The Rockefeller Foundation. “A dynamic, holistic strategy for moving Miami forward should address the city’s aging infrastructure, housing stock, and public transportation system – all in addition to fast-emerging threats as a result of climate change. Cities like Miami demonstrate why building resilience is so important. By looking at all of these factors together, and coordinating the collective energy and resources of local stakeholders and nonprofit actors like The Rockefeller Foundation and 100RC, we can achieve sustainable change. We’re excited to help build a stronger, more resilient Miami.”

“Miami-Dade County has been working toward addressing resilience since the 1980s, and we remain committed to working with our community partners to develop an adaptable plan that will better position our 2.7 million residents to be resilient in the face of current and future challenges,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said. “Collaboration is critical to our success, and as a global community, we also look forward to offering our experience and learning from other global cities that are part of The Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cites program. Taking action is key for us, because the decisions that we make today will have a long-lasting impact on future generations, both locally and globally.”

“The City of Miami is honored to be joining the 100 Resilient Cities network together with Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach. We are fully committed to embracing and enhancing our readiness for urban resilience,” Miami Mayor Tomas P. Regalado said. “Greater Miami is ground zero for sea level rise and we will continue implementing measures to safeguard our City’s infrastructure and financial future. City Manager, Daniel J. Alfonso, will be designating a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) to work with other parties in developing a Greater Miami area Resilience Strategy that reflects the uniqueness of our municipality.”

“Thank you to The Rockefeller Foundation for their vision to establish 100 Resilient Cities,” Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said. “Today, the City of Miami Beach along with Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami, joins this prestigious network of progressive cities around the world that will benefit from each other’s expertise. What an honor! 100 Resilient Cities can count on Miami Beach’s team of innovative and dedicated professionals who will continue to push the envelope when it comes to sea level rise, transportation, infrastructure, and climate change.”

“We are so proud to welcome Greater Miami and the Beaches to 100 Resilient Cities,” said 100RC President Micahel Berkowitz.“The region’s leadership has demonstrated exceptional commitment to resilience building by hiring Chief Resilience Officers in Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach. We were also impressed by the innovative and proactive way they’ve been thinking about the area’s challenges. We look forward to helping Greater Miami address the full scope of these challenges in 2016 and beyond.”

“This regional effort under 100 Resilient Cities marks a significant milestone for Greater Miami,” saidJavier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Sea-level rise, transportation, public infrastructure and all civic issues give us opportunities to unite and innovate solutions that improve quality of life for all residents. Miami-Dade County and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach have shown how vital it is that we collaborate to realize Greater Miami’s robust future.”

Greater Miami and the Beaches was chosen from more than 325 applicants on the basis of their willingness, ability, and need to become resilient. The application process showed each city’s unique vision for resilience, a long-term commitment to building resilience in a way that connects silos of government and sectors of society, and specific attention to the needs of poor and vulnerable citizens. Applicant cities also demonstrated the willingness to be leaders in urban resilience, sharing learning experiences and becoming a model for other cities across the globe.

The growing momentum for resilience-building worldwide includes the more than 20 cities that have taken 100RC’s 10% Resilience Pledge, agreeing to dedicate 10% of city budgets – representing more than $5 billion (USD) – to resilience initiatives. Additionally, communities like New York City, New Orleans, and Norfolk, VA, have seen hundreds of millions of dollars steered toward their respective efforts to build resilience through the National Disaster Resilience Competition. Finally, communities outside the 100RC network – from North Dakota to Sri Lanka – have created and filled their own CRO positions.

Today, 100RC announced its final cohort of network cities, which includes:

• Greater Miami and the Beaches
• Washington, DC
• Nashville
• Seattle
• Atlanta
• Honolulu
• Minneapolis
• Louisville
• Calgary
• Toronto
• Vancouver, British Columbia
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Colima, Mexico
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Salvador, Brazil
• Guadalajara (Metro), Mexico
• Panama City, Panama
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Luxor, Egypt
• Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Tbilisi, Georgia
• Greater Manchester, England
• The Hague, Netherlands
• Pune, India
• Jaipur, India
• Seoul, South Korea
• Kyoto, Japan
• Can Tho, Vietnam
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Melaka, Malaysia
• Haiyan, China
• Yiwu, China
• Lagos, Nigeria
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Nairobi, Kenya
• Paynesville, Liberia

“Being designated one of 100 resilient cities around the world is a testament to decades of strong leadership by public and private individuals and organizations in Miami-Dade County,” said Jim Murley, Chief Resilience Officer, Miami-Dade County. “The communities in greater Miami and throughout Southeast Florida are committed to becoming resilient to shocks and stresses that can disrupt the lives of our citizens. We are also mindful of future generations and the need to commit to long-term solutions that ensure their ability to enjoy our extraordinary place.”

“The City of Miami Beach, in partnership with Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami, is proud to be recognized as one of 100 Resilient Cities, powered by The Rockefeller Foundation. Together, we are writing the textbook for addressing sea-level rise, reducing our risks, and creating a vibrant and resilient city of tomorrow,” said Susanne M. Torriente, Miami Beach Chief Resilience Officer and Assistant City Manager. “Our creative and collective efforts today are the foundation for the future of Greater Miami and the Beaches.

Member cities were selected upon the recommendation of distinguished judges from around the world, including: A. Eugene Kohn, Chairman of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Acha Leke, Director at McKinsey & Co Africa, Co-Founder of African Leadership Network, Ann Fudge, Vice-Chair and Senior Independent Director of Unilever, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director-General of Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA), Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs, Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Partner at the Bjarke Ingels Group,Michael Kocher, General Manager at Aga Khan Foundation, Nachiket Mor, Former Director and Current Board Member, Reserve Bank of India and Senior Advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Nena Stoiljkovic, Vice President, Global Partnerships at the IFC.