In February, a coalition of Democratic politicians seized headlines around the country with a proposed "Green New Deal" – a plan aimed at tackling the global threat of climate change through a series of broad and tactical solutions that also address endemic economic stresses afflicting communities throughout the U.S.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal launched in 1933, the nation's urban population was roughly 50 percent. Today, that number stands at 82 percent – following the global trendline of rapid urbanization that will see 75 percent of the world's population living in cities by 2050.

That places cities at the frontlines of the 21st century's greatest challenges. Where national governments have moved slowly, mayors and urban leaders worldwide have stepped up and taken action. The ethos of the Green New Deal – tackling the existential threat of climate change by employing a long-term strategic mindset, along with short-term tactical actions – has been central to the work of the 100 Resilient Cities Network for the last five years.

Operating in 100 cities around the globe, and 25 here in the U.S., we've seen firsthand the opportunity that cities present for impact and scale. For American cities, recent history has shown that predictability has gone out the window. Seas are rising from San Francisco, California, to Norfolk, Virginia; heatwaves and deep freezes have plagued nearly every corner of the country in the last year; wildfires have erased entire communities; and we've seen some of the costliest natural disasters ever recorded in the last few years alone. Climate change has not just damaged lives and cost billions in the process, it has exposed fundamental flaws in our society – often along racial, socio-economic and geographic lines.

Cities in this country are best positioned to help enact the ideas outlined in the Green New Deal, embedding goals that address climate-related issues alongside the everyday challenges, namely equity and inclusive economic growth, which make us more vulnerable. If policymakers are genuine in their intent to build a stronger, more sustainable country, they should look to cities for inspiration. Examples from three 100RC member cities below are clear indicators of how innovative solutions, incorporating a resilience lens, can transform the way we address the kinds of challenges outlined in the Green New Deal.

Oakland, California

A flagship project in 2016's "Resilient Oakland" strategy developed with 100RC, the EcoBlock pilot aims to retrofit an entire North Oakland residential block as a first-of-its-kind prototype in the evolution toward citywide, residential microgrids that generate their own clean, reliable, renewable power for homes and electric vehicles. Homes situated on the EcoBlock will benefit from energy efficiency, sharing a solar-powered microgrid and usable onsite energy storage; complementing these are significant water conservation and water recycling to irrigate shared organic gardens, and landscaping to keep the block lush and mitigate the urban heat-island effect. Under the leadership of a consortium of partners, the project has already been awarded an initial $1.5 million planning grant by the California Energy Commission and has the potential to be replicated in communities around the country.

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Boston, Massachusetts

In Boston, the public transportation system is strong, yet the current distribution of service throughout the city leaves some communities without reliable access and others with direct access but little-to-no redundancy in the event of an interruption – as was the case in during the 2015 blizzard which cut off huge swaths of residents from their livelihoods.

This issue particularly affects Bostonians of color, who use public transit more frequently relative to other populations, experience longer commutes to work and suffer from the highest transportation costs. A planned extension of the Fairmount/Indigo metro line will address this with three new stations and a host of service improvements, bringing regular rail service within a 10 minute walk of 1,200 underserved households. Measures to complement the rail line include 9.2 miles of new bike paths and pedestrian walkways as well as increasing the amount of preserved and affordable housing units, expanding access to job opportunities and investing in neighborhood cultural, recreational and educational institutions. This kind of mix will be invaluable in improving our carbon footprint and creating cohesive and equitable cities and neighborhoods.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Fourteen years after Hurricane Katrina, nine years after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and in the midst of grappling with threats such as coastal land losses and rising sea levels, New Orleans has become a hub for sustainable industries. A 2014 study commissioned by Greater New Orleans, Inc. identified 13 sectors poised for growth, with many of the projected new jobs in water management overlapping with those in traditional petrochemical roles. This kickstarted an intentional effort by the city to build an economy of the future and prepare its workforce to fully participate.

Initiatives like the Network for Economic Opportunity (later changed to the New Orleans Business Alliance), for example, focus on connecting disadvantaged job seekers and businesses to opportunities within the city. Seeing a skilled labor shortage in the fastest-growing water management sector, the Network forged a partnership between Delgado Community College's Water and Wastewater Treatment Program and the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans to train certified water infrastructure personnel, thereby creating direct local career pathways in advanced manufacturing.

Specialized training programs like these have proven essential to connect the local workforce to the growing opportunities of the future economy. New Orleans plans to become a global center of excellence for water management and if successful, the plan will turn the city's great risk – its exposure to flooding – into an asset: economic growth in a field in demand by nearly every city around the world.

Resilience in Action

Initial reactions to the Green New Deal have veered toward skepticism, concern that the challenges of climate change and problems exposed by climate change are both too drastic and too amorphous to tackle. Yet focusing on urban development with a resilience lens has a proven track record. Imagine if projects and initiatives like those in Oakland, Boston and New Orleans were scaled up and adopted by their counterparts around the country and even the world, tailored to be more effective and for local context.