Resilient Willoughby

City resilience is "the capacity of individuals, communities, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt and thrive, no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience” - Resilient Sydney Strategy, 2018

Chronic stresses weaken the fabric of society and people’s ability to cope with life’s challenges over time. They include transport stress, unaffordable housing, family violence, climate change, economic downturns, mental health challenges, social isolation and lack of community connections.

Acute shocks are sudden, short-term events that threaten a city and some people’s own security. They include major storms, extended heatwaves, disease pandemics, bushfires, infrastructure failures (e.g. roads, power), cyber attacks.

Willoughby City Council is developing a Resilient Willoughby Plan to better equip residents, businesses, institutions, infrastructure and the environment to withstand the shocks and stresses which are impacting on our city and way of life. The plan will assess our community’s vulnerabilities and strengths and develop a prioritised set of actions to strengthen our ability to cope with adversity, embrace the “new normal” and thrive over the short to long term.

This planning will enable us to respond better to shocks and stresses and improve our ability to manage resulting impacts on people and the environment. The plan will identify opportunities to manage our future in a better, more sustainable way. If our community is well organised, cohesive and connected, it is stronger.

We will work closely with our community, partners and stakeholders at every step in the process, listen to their ideas and build our collective strength to cope with an uncertain future.

For more information, contact our Resilience Specialist at nick.chapman@willoughby.nsw.gov.au