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DELTARES, FEBRUARY 2016
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Rockefeller’s 100 Resilient Cities
With the exception of Hamburg, all the cities mentioned
here are participants in the Rockefeller's 100 Resilient
Cities Initiative. Deltares recently joined the network as
a Platform Partner. By contributing our expertise, we will
help cities to become more resilient.
in higher locations, and the lower floors of renovated
warehouses have been fitted out with steel doors that
close at high tide. Roads and bridges have also been
built so that tra¨c won't be a£ected by floods.
3
New Orleans: restoring wetlands
Ten years aer Katrina, dikes and storm-
surge barriers protect most of New Orleans.
The city keeps a close eye on where and how
construction or renovation work is done. If it is outside
a protected area, houses must be on stilts or be fitted
with shutters. But the city has more ambitions, and
the authorities are looking ahead. Wetlands are being
restored, and steps are being taken to reduce land
subsidence and local flooding aer rain. Furthermore,
water is stored increasingly in public areas and in
private locations.
4
Rio de Janeiro: protecting
favela residents from the rain
Rio will be in the spotlights during the
Olympic Games in 2016. The preparations
include a cleanup of Guanabara Bay, better drains
and the recycling of waste. And the city is also
looking at the favelas. These areas cannot manage
the increasing levels of rainfall caused by climate
change. The densely-populated, oen poor,
neighbourhoods are built on steep slopes and so
they are exposed to landslides. The city is developing
a warning system and housing for the vulnerable
areas.
5
Melbourne: smart urban design
Melbourne is very sensitive to climate change.
It has to cope with problems ranging from
heat waves, droughts and forest fires to heavy
rain. To curb the summer heat, more green areas have
been created and experiments have been launched with
cool-roof technology. All the changes in the city take
water into consideration, for example by using paving
stones that let water through, and by building green
roofs and wadis, features that allow excess rainwater to
drain away into the ground slowly. The inhabitants of
the city will also use water sparingly during droughts,
for example by rinsing o£ their cars on the lawn and by
using rain barrels.
6
Dakar: raising awareness first
Rainfall and its low-lying location on the
coast mean that the capital of Senegal is
increasingly at risk from flooding. Drought
and environmental problems are also on the rise.
Annual floods particularly a£ect the poorest people
living in the city's low-lying slums, which lack
basic facilities such as drains and waste collection.
Improvements to the drainage of water represent an
important step. But it will be equally important for
the people to become aware of the climate problem so
that they can team up with the authorities to devise
solutions for the long term.
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