Resilience Strategy to strengthen Penrith

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Penrith has joined over 30 metropolitan councils, government organisations, businesses, and community leaders to launch 'The Sydney Resilience Strategy,' a comprehensive plan to build resilience and future-proof Sydney, its suburbs and the region.

Resilience is a relatively new concept that is receiving attention from cities and communities across the world as they face growing challenges and pressures from increasing urbanisation, globalisation, and the impacts of climate change.

Penrith Mayor John Thain said the launch of the strategy provides a guiding framework for Penrith's own Resilience Committee.

"The Resilience Committee was established to make the most of Penrith's participation in the Resilient Sydney project and plays a key role in shaping and future-proofing our City," said Cr Thain.

"The Committee investigates how we respond to risks that can affect our City and how Council can integrate resilience within our activities and decision-making.

"The launch of the strategy gives us the opportunity to take the learnings and the outcomes from the Resilient Sydney project and apply them in our local context, with the input and expertise of our community and our councillors.

"Council's sustainability initiatives, which are key to building our City's resilience, are already making waves, with our Cooling the City Strategy taking home a winner's medal at the recent Greater Sydney Commission Planning Awards.

"Resilience thinking provides us with a new way to look at our activities and operations, and encourages us to consider not only how we respond to emergency events and situations, but also how we can enhance long-term environmental, social and economic outcomes for the Penrith community," Cr Thain said.

Council has been an active member of Resilient Sydney since 2016, when Sydney was selected to be part of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) project, pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. 100RC partners with cities around the world to help them become more resilient to the social, economic and physical challenges of the 21st century.

For more information on resilience and Penrith Council's Resilience Committee visit the Resilience page.

The full Resilient Sydney urban resilience strategy can be downloaded at: 100resilientcities.org/strategies/Sydney

Photo caption: Penrith Mayor John Thain joined over 30 metropolitan councils, government organisations, businesses, and community leaders at Sydney Town Hall to launch The Sydney Resilience Strategy. (Photo by Katherine Griffiths, City of Sydney)

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 1 August 2018.