Resilience and Sustainability

The Office of Resilience and Sustainability is charged with working across departments to apply a resilience lens to the City’s operations, strategic planning and budgeting processes, in order to strengthen its ability to address the systemic stresses and challenges it faces, as well as enhance its ability to prepare for and rebound from acute shocks.

The department was formed in November 2016 after the City was granted funding from the Rockefeller Foundation for 100 Resilient Cities 

Department Head

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Sonia Brubaker

Sonia has over 18 years of experience in the environmental sector. Prior to this position, Sonia led the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center and served as its Director. Throughout her career she has focused on connecting communities with technical assistance and financing to enhance service and improve water access for all.

 "Cities face a growing range of adversities and challenges in the 21st century. From the effects of climate change to growing migrant populations to inadequate infrastructure to pandemics to cyber-attacks. Resilience is what helps cities adapt and transform in the face of these challenges, helping them to prepare for both the expected and the unexpected.

100RC defines urban resilience as 'the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.'"

-taken from 100 Resilient Cities

 

What is City of Miami doing about climate change?

Our top priorities are:

  • Work with Miami-Dade County and City of Miami Beach to implement the unified resilience strategy, Resilient305
  • Build resilience into City of Miami’s strategic plan, budgeting, policies and capital improvement plans
  • Advance City of Miami’s resilience to sea level rise, extreme heat, and hurricanes through internal planning, community engagement, and policy

Hub and spokes diagram showing department priorities: flooding, hurricanes, infrastructure, affordable housing, sea level rise, transportation, and poverty.