The cities of Cotonou, Benin and Arusha, Tanzania are responding to the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Challenge by submitting applications to join the second round of cities to join the international network.
Both cities are facing mounting development pressures exacerbated by shocks and stresses induced by climate change. Cotonou’s coastal location leaves the city vulnerable to sea-level rise and flooding, while changing precipitation patterns are leading to water shortages and intensified flooding in Arusha. I2UD is assisting local authorities in each of these two cities to compile and submit their applications to receive funding to hire a Chief Resilience Officer, develop a resilience strategy, and access innovative private and public sector tools to implement the strategy.
I2UD’s technical assistance in this latest endeavor builds off of a long history of cooperation; I2UD worked with Arusha from 2009-2012 to develop an urban management strategy and a development plan with funding from the Aga Khan University, and Cotonou was previously the focus of a case study presented in a paper presented at the 5th World Bank Urban Research Symposium in 2009 dealing with climate change and local development. The second selection of cities will be made by early 2015.
Read about the first 32 cities to join the Resilient Cities Network here.