Resilient World | Navigating Disruption In National Security, Foreign Policy, Crisis Response, Global Health, And More

With a majority of people living in urban environments, there is a growing imperative to engineer cities to better withstand an inevitable bevy of potential shocks and stresses. As Washington DC’s first chief resilience officer, Kevin Bush’s task is to develop the District’s first-ever resilience strategy, aiming to tackle challenges ranging from terrorist attacks to homelessness. In this wide-ranging discussion, Bush outlines how chronic stresses like a high cost of living weakens the ability of DC residents to absorb shocks like flooding, and explains how interdisciplinary solutions – such as parks that soak up excess floodwater – help embed resilience into the fabric of the city. A veteran of the Hurricane Sandy response, Bush also advocates for a more systematic approach to disaster recovery and response, such as ensuring critical infrastructure like cell phone towers has adequate backup power supplies. Above all, Bush emphasizes that the city and its residents must deal with everyday challenges in order