Seattle is one of many cities that are thinking about how to be resilient to the shifting economy and to other pressures such as cyber security, climate change, and housing affordability. An outline of Seattle's plan is discussed in this Smart Cities Dive article.
Seattle joins a growing number of cities devising resilience plans. This year alone, Chicago, Toronto and Miami are among the cities that released resilience plans, some through collaboration with the recently disbanded 100 Resilient Cities. Seattle participated in two years of research and planning through this partnership, but it wrote the report itself on a shortened timeline — three months — due to 100 Resilient Cities' closure, a spokesperson for the mayor's office told Smart Cities Dive via email.
The more widespread adoption of such plans — as well as more cities hiring chief resilience officers — indicates that leaders recognize the importance of advanced planning to bounce back from known and unknown obstacles. Those challenges run the gamut of acute shocks and chronic stresses and may include natural disasters, cyberattacks, terrorist attacks, economic downturns, the effects of climate change and racial tension.
The effects of Seattle's rapid economic expansion and population boom over the past decade on its resilience is a prominent theme throughout the plan. The city's reputation as a tech hub prompted significant growth, which equated to prosperity for the region. But being a magnet for highly-skilled, highly-paid employees also ushered in difficulties such as a high cost of living, a lack of affordable housing, displacement of longtime residents, homelessness and a widening income inequality.
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