MPC Roundtable
Tough Stuff: Resilient Infrastructure in a Changing World

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District monitors storms and controls their locks and dams from inside this command center.

As many new and recurring challenges affect and shape our response to extreme events, the importance of resilient infrastructure becomes increasingly critical. Security threats, an uncertain climate and financial instability have all left their mark on our existing systems, begging the question, “Are we prepared for the future?” The greater Chicago region has experienced its share of extremes, including a foreclosure crisis that has led to a shortage of rental housing and a supply/demand mismatch, drought condi­tions for most of 2012, blackouts throughout the region and, most recently, intense storms resulting in impassable expressways, five straight days of flooding and combined sewer overflows.

How can we prepare for the unexpected? Coordinated, data-driven, purposeful planning leads to better communities today, as well as smarter investments for the future. At the local level, we can’t control the weather, the economy or security threats, but we can control our response. To make the most efficient and cost-effective use of our limited public resources, we need to take steps now to prepare and prevent, rather than continue to spend tens of billions of dollars or more in post-disaster relief.

Join MPC for a discussion with representatives from ComEd, Ill. Dept. of Public Health and UIC about the resiliency of physical and social infrastructure, and how we can effectively plan for both natural and man-made disasters.