On Sept. 23 at the U.S. Green Building Council’s National Leadership Speaker Series, Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, Calif., outlined a blueprint for advancing resiliency in America as part of the Resilient Communities for America (RC4A) Campaign. The campaign, led by ICLEI USA, the U.S. Green Building Council, the National League of Cities, and the World Wildlife Fund, has attracted 90 city and county leaders since its announcement in June. The overarching goal of the campaign is to protect against more extreme weather and more frequent disasters, but the campaign has outlined four paths to building resilient cities and counties.

“By fostering resilient communities, we will forge a more resilient America. As mayors, I know we’ll do our part to anticipate these threats, limit their impacts, and make the necessary preparations to recover smarter, greener, and stronger,” said Johnson.

According to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, extreme weather events caused $110 billion in damage in 2012. A study by the American Institute of Architects, Cities as a Lab: Designing the Innovation Economy, states that “22 federal disasters have been declared just from April to July 2013, including fires in California and Colorado, flooding in the Midwest, and the tornadoes in Oklahoma.” The RC4A campaign signatories have pledged to take cost-effective actions to improve resiliency against these types of disasters. “For every $1 spent on disaster preparedness, a community can save $4 in avoided costs,” said Jason Hartke, Vice President of National Policy at the U.S. Green Building Council. Read more.