Using the definition of resilience from the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative,

Urban Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.

Chronic Stresses

Stresses weaken the fabric of a city on a daily or cyclical basis.

Examples include:

Acute Shocks

Acute shocks are sudden, sharp events that threaten a city.

Examples include:

What does resilience look like?

Resilient cities stand out in 7 categories

(Credit 100 Resilient Cities)

Reflective

using past experience to inform future decisions

Resourceful

recognizing alternative ways to use resources

Robust

well-conceived, constructed, and managed systems

Redundant

spare capacity purposively created to accommodate disruption

Integrated

bring together a range of distinct systems and institutions

Flexible

willingness and ability to adopt alternative strategies in response to changing circumstances

Inclusive

prioritize broad consultation to create a sense of shared ownership in decision making