In order to improve reactive capacity and the city’s ability to respond to future adversity, the municipal government set in motion a strategic plan. Barcelona has become the first city in the world to create an urban resilience department.
Prepared for adversity
Resilience goes further than rolling with the puncahes and struggling through, it includes the ability to turn misfortune to favour.
Taleb coins the term “antifragile” to describe things that benefit from the impacts they receive. These are phenomena that grow or prosper when exposed to volatility, chance, disorder, risk or uncertainty.
Barcelona’s Department of Urban Resilience has decided to integrate all the city’s operations information to prevent or mitigate incidents and accidents that could have a negative impact on the everyday lives of residents.
The Rockefeller Foundation has selected Barcelona from more than 330 candidates as one of the latest 35 cities to be added to the resilient cities network this year.