How cities are building climate resilience even as federal funds disappear – Smart Cities Dive

Report on Urban Resilience and Sustainable Infrastructure Development

This report outlines strategies for municipalities to enhance climate resilience and advance sustainable infrastructure projects, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in a context of uncertain federal funding. It draws upon insights from the Local Infrastructure Hub, a program established in 2022 to help cities access federal funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Advancing SDG 9 and SDG 11 Through Technological Innovation

Cities can leverage underutilized technological tools and partnerships to build resilient infrastructure (SDG 9) and create sustainable communities (SDG 11), even without significant federal investment.

Key Technological Levers

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI tools can be deployed to predict climate-related risks, optimize resource allocation, and improve response times to weather and infrastructure challenges. This supports streamlined procurement, threat identification, and scenario modeling.
• Digital Twins: Academic-municipal partnerships can pioneer innovations like digital twin projects. For example, the University of Florida is developing a digital twin for Jacksonville to model wastewater flows and flood-prone areas, providing evidence-based insights for urban planning.

The Role of Academic Partnerships (SDG 17)

Urban academic institutions, such as Cornell Tech’s Urban Tech Hub, serve as critical partners for municipalities by:

1. Providing applied research and technical expertise on technology’s role in resilience.
2. Functioning as innovation labs for testing and piloting new technologies before large-scale deployment.
3. Facilitating knowledge sharing and peer networking among cities.

Building Local Capacity for Sustainable Development

Initiatives like the Local Infrastructure Hub demonstrate that cities of all sizes can enhance their technical capacity to secure funding and implement critical infrastructure improvements, contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Success of the Local Infrastructure Hub

• The Hub has assisted small and mid-size cities, including Clarkston, Georgia, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, in developing competitive grant applications.
• Participants have secured over $3 billion in funding for essential community improvements.
• The program equips local officials with the technology, tools, and confidence to deliver sustainable projects, fostering a network where officials can share strategies and support.

Reforming Procurement for Agile and Climate-Adaptive Infrastructure (SDG 13)

To effectively respond to extreme weather and advance Climate Action (SDG 13), local leaders must restructure procurement and permitting processes to enable the rapid deployment of resilient solutions.

Innovative Procurement Models

1. Challenge-Based Procurement: As seen in Long Beach, California, cities can use open Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to solicit a wide range of solutions from vendors, NGOs, and academic institutions.
2. Fast-Track Permitting: Kansas City has implemented accelerated permitting for nature-based solutions, such as integrated stormwater management systems, which address multiple climate risks simultaneously.
3. Standardized Agreements: Austin’s Master Interlocal Agreement framework creates pre-approved vendor pools, supporting rapid deployment of technologies and facilitating joint university-city research projects.
4. Regional Collaboration (SDG 17): The Smart Columbus initiative evolved from a single-city project into a multi-county procurement consortium, enhancing the scale, cost-effectiveness, and impact of sustainable infrastructure investments.

Recommendations for Mayors: Fostering Self-Reliant Resilience

Local governments can take immediate action to build weather-resilient infrastructure without relying on new federal funding. The primary recommendation is to prioritize local action and cross-sector collaboration to achieve goals aligned with SDG 9, SDG 11, and SDG 13.

Actionable Steps

• Immediately deploy low-cost, high-impact technologies to address pressing resilience challenges.
• Actively cultivate and leverage expertise from cross-sector collaborators, including universities, private businesses, and non-profit organizations.
• Emphasize outcome-based solutions that are flexible, rapidly deployable, and effective in an unpredictable climate future.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • The article’s central theme is building resilient local infrastructure. It discusses the need for cities to “improve infrastructure planning or delivery” and make “essential improvements in their communities.” It also heavily emphasizes innovation through technology, mentioning how “Artificial intelligence tools can revolutionize local resilience” and the use of “digital twins for emergency response planning.”

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The article is entirely focused on urban environments, specifically helping “cities and towns” build “more resilient communities.” It addresses sustainable urbanization by discussing how municipalities can manage challenges, model development scenarios, and implement “integrated stormwater management systems.” The goal is to make cities safer and more resilient, particularly in the face of climate-related threats.

3. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • A primary driver for the infrastructure improvements discussed is climate change. The article repeatedly refers to the need to build “weather-resilient infrastructure” to face challenges like “extreme weather” and areas “especially prone to flooding.” The entire discussion on building resiliency is framed as a response to climate-related risks.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The article highlights the critical role of collaboration. The Local Infrastructure Hub itself is a partnership. The text emphasizes tapping “expertise from cross-sector collaborators — whether universities, businesses, or non-profits.” Specific examples include partnerships between cities and “urban academic institutions” like Cornell Tech and the University of Florida, as well as regional collaborations like the “multi-county procurement consortium” in Columbus.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The article directly addresses this by focusing on how cities can “continue to build resiliency” and make “essential improvements” to their infrastructure to withstand modern challenges.
   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors… and encourage innovation. This is demonstrated by the article’s promotion of “applied research” from universities and the adoption of advanced technologies like “Artificial intelligence tools” and “digital twin” projects to improve city management and infrastructure planning.

2. Under SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.3: Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for… integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management. The article discusses tools and strategies that enhance planning capacity, such as using AI to “model development scenarios” and “plan responses,” and implementing innovative procurement and permitting processes for better infrastructure delivery.
   • Target 11.b: Substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… resilience to disasters. The article’s core advice for mayors is to “build weather-resilient infrastructure” and adopt strategies like “fast-track permitting for nature-based solutions” and “integrated stormwater management systems” to address climate risks and build resilience.

3. Under SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article is focused on this target, advising cities on how to build “agile and adaptive infrastructure in the face of extreme weather” and use technology to “respond to weather-related and infrastructure challenges with unprecedented speed and precision.”

4. Under SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article provides multiple examples, such as the Local Infrastructure Hub itself, “joint university-city research projects” (Jacksonville and the University of Florida), and collaborations with “vendors, NGOs and academic institutions” through challenge-based procurement (Long Beach).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for SDG 9 Targets

   • For Target 9.1: The amount of funding secured for infrastructure projects is a direct indicator. The article states that participants in the Local Infrastructure Hub “have secured over $3 billion of the $6 billion distributed to localities to date.”
   • For Target 9.5: The number of cities deploying specific technologies like AI and digital twins. The article mentions Jacksonville’s “digital twin project” as a pilot example. The number of “joint university-city research projects” is another measurable indicator.

2. Indicators for SDG 11 Targets

   • For Target 11.b: The number of cities adopting innovative policies and plans. The article provides specific examples that can be tracked, such as the adoption of “challenge-based procurement” (Long Beach), “fast-track permitting for nature-based solutions” (Kansas City), and “pre-approved vendor pools” (Austin).

3. Indicators for SDG 13 Targets

   • For Target 13.1: The implementation of specific resilience projects. An indicator would be the number of cities that have deployed “integrated stormwater management systems” or other nature-based solutions to mitigate climate risks like flooding.

4. Indicators for SDG 17 Targets

   • For Target 17.17: The number and scale of multi-stakeholder partnerships. This can be measured by the number of cities participating in programs like the Local Infrastructure Hub, the number of “cross-sector collaborators” engaged in municipal projects, and the formation of “multi-county procurement consortiums” like the one in Columbus.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: smartcitiesdive.com