Introduction

Abstract

In our media-saturated culture it can be argued that, until recently, the threat of climate change seems to have been overexposed. People have been numbed by the repetition of potential threats that seem complex, distant, and hard to personalize. All of this is changing as people experience the devastation of extreme weather events, especially with the impacts of Hurricane Sandy and the hundred-year droughts in the Midwest. Climate change is no longer about reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the efficacy of climate science. Its consequences are real and palpable. As a result, there is a renewed sense of urgency about how to respond and an opportunity, however brief, to ask fundamental questions about business as usual in the way we build, operate, and maintain our cities. How well can cities defend against and recover from severe climate disruptions?