The City of Sydney has been recognised as one of the world’s most forward-thinking cities with an invitation to join a group of 100 global cities that are creating a more secure future for their communities.

Alongside, London, Paris, Chicago and Singapore, the City has been selected to join the 100 Resilient Cities network funded by The Rockefeller Foundation.

100 Resilient Cities is spending US $100 million to make cities better prepared to cope with shocks and strains ranging from climate change to social problems and issues such as housing affordability.

President of 100 Resilient Cities, Michael Berkowitz, said the City of Sydney’s innovative approach to urban resilience and commitment to collaborative partnerships was deemed exceptional. “A resilient city has a diverse economy and takes care of both its built and natural infrastructure,” he said, “It has effective leadership, empowered stakeholders, and an integrated planning system. All of those things are essential for a resilient city.”

Clover Moore, the mayor of Sydney said the City was honoured to be invited to join the network that includes some of the world’s leading cities and encompasses more than 700 million people. “Leadership involves looking at the long term, and that is exactly what the City of Sydney does,” the Lord Mayor said, “We are already working hard to prepare Sydney for a fast-changing future. We are putting together a climate change adaptation plan to look at the social, economic and physical impacts of climate change.”

The 100 Resilient Cities network will fund a Chief Resilience Officer at the City of Sydney for two years to work with all levels of government to better prepare Sydney and its residents for expected or unexpected stresses in the future. These can range from the global competitiveness of businesses, to natural disasters and climate change, violence caused by alcohol and drug abuse, or social challenges such as homelessness.

Being a part of this unique group of cities will allow the City of Sydney to share information and learn from other leading cities about their action.