Denver, Colorado, was recently chosen by Architectural Digest as the most climate-resilient city in the U.S., in a survey of 50 major cities analyzed.
Denver’s clean energy infrastructure and elevation, which limits its risk to sea level rise, were cited as the primary reasons for the city’s top ranking. Denver has also experienced limited weather destruction other than some drought conditions and tornadoes. Building Operating Management recently profiled Denver Public Schools and its sustainability plan in its August 2023 issue.
Architectural Digest’s top-ranked cities shared many of these characteristics: lower populations, higher elevations, fewer adverse weather conditions and lower exposure to flooding.
Ranking second and third on the list was Raleigh, North Carolina, and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively. While Salt Lake City shares many of the same characteristics as Denver, Raleigh ranked high due to its high marks for clean energy infrastructure, climate change readiness and adaptability. It also was noted for recording 217 days of “good” air quality, compared to 84 days for Denver.
On the lower end of the top 50 were three cities in Florida. Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami were ranked Nos. 48-50, respectively. All three cities scored low in flood risk and vulnerability to storms and readiness to adapt to weather changes.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facilities market.
