Source: The Dominion Post

By: TIM DONOGHUE

Wellington has been named - along with Milan, London and Paris - as a "resilient city" worthy of funding by the Rockefeller Foundation.

The city of Wellington has $1 million in services heading its way after being named one of the New York-based Rockefeller Foundation's international network of 100 Resilient Cities.

The resilient cities scheme was launched last year by the foundation to help cities worldwide become more resilient to physical, social and economic challenges.

President of 100 Resilient Cities, Michael Berkowitz, said Wellington was selected because of its leaders' commitment to resilience building and the innovative and proactive way they had approached challenges.

He said Wellington could expect to receive about $1 million worth of expertise and resources over three years including funding to hire a chief resilience officer and assistance in developing a resilience strategy.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the successful bid would mean increased access to expertise and resources here and overseas for Wellingtonians.  

"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.

Wellington and 34 other cities, including Sydney, were chosen from nearly 350 applications spanning over 90 countries. The United States is most represented, with six cities in the continental US and one in Puerto Rico, but there also are multiple selections in China and India.

About 30 other cities were named last year, and more applications will be taken next year.

The cities announced today are:

Accra, Ghana

Amman, Jordan

Arusha, Tanzania

Athens, Greece

Barcelona, Spain

Belgrade, Serbia

Bangalore, India

Boston, USA

Cali, Colombia

Chennai, India

Chicago, USA

Dallas, USA

Deyang, China

Enugu, Nigeria

Huangshi, China

Juarez, Mexico

Kigali, Rwanda

Lisbon, Portugal

London, England

Milan, Italy

Montreal, Canada

Paris, France

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Pittsburgh, USA

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Santa Fe, Argentina

Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Santiago (Metropolitan Region), Chile

Singapore

St. Louis, USA

Sydney, Australia

Thessaloniki, Greece

Toyama, Japan

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Wellington, New Zealand