Design decisions for buildings and communities are critical to efforts to increase local and regional resiliency. Building designers — of residential, institutional, and commercial structures — should strive to incorporate passive and active survivability concepts into new and renovated structures.
Community planners and developers need to incorporate concepts that increase the capacity to maintain transportation flow, strategies to handle water management, and infrastructure approaches that will withstand a variety of risks.
Norfolk’s Resilience Strategy
The city of Norfolk, as a 100 Resilient Cities grantee, developed a Resilience Strategy that was published in October 2015. The stated goal of the plan is to reduce risks as well as embrace new ways of thinking and thriving in conditions that require continuous innovation. The full plan is available online.
Reflections on the First Resilient Virginia Conference, March 22-23, 2016
Jerry Walker, CEM, LEED AP, Resilient Virginia Board Chairman and Champion, provides his thoughts on the the first Resilient Virginia Conference, hailed as a great start in creating awareness and motivating communities to address resiliency.

2016 Resilient Virginia Conference
View the 2016 Resilient Virginia Conference presentations and slideshow now!
The Celestia Project: Vision for the Future
Earth Day 2015 is just around the corner, and this year Resilient Virginia shares an inspirational vision of the future through our exclusive sneak peak of the ebook on The Celestia Project, which will be unveiled officially by Green Builder magazine on this Earth Day.
Energy Department Recognizes City of Roanoke for Leadership in Better Buildings Challenge
As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department has recognized the city of Roanoke, Virginia for its leadership. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Roanoke has committed to 20 percent savings by 2020 across more than 25 buildings, covering one million square feet.
Resilient Communities: A CommunityMatters Conference Call
Our communities are constantly changing. Most changes are gradual and predictable—a new store opens on Main Street, newcomers come to town and priorities shift. But,
Rebuild by Design
Rebuild by Design was conceived as a HUD competition to respond to Superstorm Sandy’s devastation in the United States’ northeast region. Initiated by the US
Resilient Design Institute
The Resilient Design Institute (RDI) creates solutions that enable buildings and communities to survive and thrive in the face of climate change, natural disasters and
U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) believes we must continuously look over the horizon to foreseeable and unforeseeable crises and see what plans are on the table, what preparations need to be made and what assets are in place. And when these tragedies do occur, we need to deploy the resources and assistance to help communities recover smarter, greener and better.