Boston Named A 'Resilient' City By Rockefeller Foundation
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) — Boston is one of 35 worldwide cities being recognized and awarded a grant by the New York-based Rockefeller Foundation for their ideas on physical, social and economic resilience.
The foundation announced the latest winners of its 100 Resilient Cities contest in conjunction with a summit Wednesday in Singapore. The foundation has committed $100 million to the effort, with the idea that the 100 eventual winners will become models for other cities around the world.
Chosen from nearly 350 applications spanning over 90 countries, this year's winners are as far north as Montreal and as far south as Sydney. The United States is most represented, with six cities in the continental U.S. and one in Puerto Rico, but there also are multiple selections in China and India.
On the foundation's website, Boston is described as having economic challenges, especially in minority communities. But the city is also praised for how it handled the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured hundreds.
"Boston's response to the Marathon bombing in 2013 demonstrated a well-integrated emergency response system," the website stated. "However, officials recognize the need for greater integration across city systems."
The foundation will finance a "chief resilience officer" position for each city to address challenges that could range from increasing threats of flooding to growing strains on health systems. The cities also will get technical help planning and implementing their strategies.
"Cities are learning that by building resilience, not only will they be better prepared for the bad times, but also life is better in the good times, especially for the poor and vulnerable," Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin said in a statement.
Other U.S. cities on the list include Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Tulsa, Oklahoma. See the full list here.
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