Making the leap from disaster relief to resilience
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is not over yet, but it has already brought some of the most catastrophic storms in recent memory.
Setting a new high water mark for federal disaster funding
Hurricane Harvey’s impacts have been “unprecedented” and “beyond anything experienced,” to use the words of the National Weather Service. However, the aftermath of this hurricane, as with any other major disaster, is heart-wrenchingly predictable.
Legacy infrastructure and the challenge of procuring urban resilience
Poverty is expensive—not just for people, but for places, too. While cash-strapped cities face a number of challenges, aging infrastructure is perhaps the costliest.
Fixing sewers and local economies
Calls for new infrastructure investment typically focus on bridges and potholes. Rarely do politicians pay attention to water infrastructure, despite the clear economic benefits of doing so. Only when situations reach crisis proportions, like in Flint, MI, does the history of deferred water investment make headlines.
Financing infrastructure through resilience bonds
One way for cash-strapped local governments to increase both protection and insurance against disasters is through a new financial tool called resilience bonds. In a new report, my co-author James Rhodes and I lay out how these would work.
The Future is Now: What’s Next in American Infrastructure
Watch re:focus partners CEO Discuss The Future Of Infrastructure