NLC Kicks off Leadership in Community Resilience Program and Announces 10 Participating Cities

TEMPE, Ariz., Nov. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National League of Cities (NLC) and the Wells Fargo Foundation today commenced its Leadership in Community Resilience Program (LCRP) in Tempe, the first city to join the pilot program. Initially announced in March 2016, the program will connect national experts with local leaders to provide technical assistance and professional development training to help create a holistic, resilience proactive framework that reduces risk, improves services, adapts to changing conditions and empowers citizens.

The ten cities participating in the pilot program are: Annapolis, Maryland; Des Moines, Iowa; Portland, Maine; Providence, Rhode Island; Riverside, California; San Antonio; Saint Paul, Minnesota; South Bend, Indiana; Tempe; and West Palm Beach, Florida. 

"Cities are leading the nation's efforts to build resilient communities that will preserve and improve quality of life for generations to come," said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities (NLC). "We are excited to work with city leaders to share their best practices and tactics for creating and implementing strong resilience frameworks. With the effects of climate change and extreme weather already being felt, 21^st century cities must make resilience a central part of their planning and growth."

The Leadership in Community Resilience program is a two-year, $350,000 pilot initiative that will help convene local officials, city staff and community partners in cities  to share ideas and best practices in advancing local resilience efforts.  NLC will provide each city with $10,000 in direct financial support, as well as technical assistance and professional development opportunities for communities. Funding is provided with support from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

"Wells Fargo created the Leadership in Community Resilience Program to help participating cities plan for, adjust to and ultimately thrive in changing climate conditions," said Mary Wenzel, senior vice president and head of environmental affairs at Wells Fargo. "This focus on resiliency is part of Wells Fargo's multipronged approach to reducing the impacts of climate change on our customers, team members and communities."

In addition to providing direct assistance to cities, the program will generate new insights related to the challenges and opportunities associated with local resilience initiatives. In the coming years, lessons learned through this process will be shared with cities throughout the U.S. looking to build more resilient communities.

"No one knows exactly how climate change will affect cities — the effects will be different everywhere," said Cooper Martin, program director for the Sustainable Cities Institute at the National League of Cities (NLC). "But there are steps we must take today that will strengthen our neighborhoods and reduce the most serious risks for our children and for future generations. We're proud to help these cities push forward."

The program is currently starting with each city identifying a particular resilience challenge in their existing planning documents and having them focus on developing solutions to these challenges over the next year. Each city will receive support from NLC, peer cities and several partner organizations through the course of the program.

About the National League of Cities

The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. www.nlc.org

About the Wells Fargo Foundation

The Wells Fargo Foundation embraces the responsibility to be a leading corporate citizen and the opportunity to create more resilient, sustainable communities through our operations and actions. Wells Fargo actively supports the revitalization and growth of the economy through community donations to nonprofits and schools, team member philanthropy and volunteerism, community development loans and investments, environmental initiatives, and other corporate citizenship initiatives.

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SOURCE National League of Cities

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