Resilience Building Coalition

Preparing to Thrive

No one knows when the next disaster will strike, only that it will. That is why, in 2014, the Building Industry Statement on Resilience rallied signatory organizations to address the urgent need for a built environment that can robustly prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and human-caused hazards.

Preparing to Thrive reviews work by the Resilience Building Coalition putting the Statement into action. It outlines a series of concrete steps Coalition members have taken in the areas of research, education, advocacy, disaster response, and planning, and highlights key milestones such as White House and federal agency engagement. The report also compiles results from a survey of signatories that indicate a sustained, and often accelerated, commitment to incorporating resilience into the work of the Coalition’s 53 member organizations, which represent nearly 2 million design and construction professionals.

Perhaps most important, Preparing to Thrive demonstrates that increased mitigation efforts; resilience-focused priorities and policies at the local, national, and international scales; and continued strategic partnerships and collaborations, are effective strategies to enhance the safety and well-being of communities—and the people who live in them.