You likely know Longmont for its tasty craft breweries, historic downtown and its pioneering municipal fiber-optic internet service.
But there’s much more than meets the eye to this Boulder County community. Behind the scenes, Longmont leaders are taking steps to build a strong, safe community by preparing for disasters—like the infamous 2013 flood.
Now, those efforts are being recognized on an international scale: Earlier this month, Longmont became the first city in America to be named a United Nations “Resilience Hub.”
The designation comes from the Making Cities Resilient 2030 program, which is spearheaded by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. It shines the spotlight on Longmont’s investment in infrastructure and planning, as well as its long-term approach to protecting people, property and the environment.
The award reflects “years of innovative planning, teamwork across all levels of government and a steady focus on protecting our community’s future,” says Harold Dominguez, Longmont’s city manager.
Based on the criteria set by the Making Cities Resilient 2030 program, Longmont received the highest level of recognition, Stage C. The program gives this award to cities that use advanced strategies to reduce risk and recover from disasters.
Other Resilience Hubs around the world include Dubai, Venice and Mexico City, which are much, much larger than Longmont. The recognition goes to show that even mid-sized cities can “lead the way in resilience,” according to the City of Longmont.
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A big factor in Longmont’s designation was Resilient St. Vrain, the ongoing project to protect neighborhoods from flooding and reduce the city’s overall flood risk. Developed in the wake of the devastating 2013 flood, the multi-year initiative aims to restore the St. Vrain Greenway and improve the St. Vrain Creek channel.
Work began in 2016 near Sandstone Ranch and has since progressed upstream, toward the mountains. Right now, crews are wrapping up work near the Boston Avenue bridge and starting in on the section between Sunset Street and Hover Road.
Project leaders are taking special care to incorporate environmentally sensitive planning into the project. They’re trying to maintain and enhance the natural habitat for wildlife and fish, create wetland areas to help clean water flow into the creek and use natural materials like rocks and plantings to stabilize creek banks.
In the end, the city hopes the project will reduce the size of the floodplain, to the point that St. Vrain Creek can safely handle up to 100-year flood flows.
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In addition, the Resilience Hub award highlights Longmont’s work on wildfire planning and climate change adaptation as part of its “whole community” approach to resilience.
Though the accolade is a major accomplishment, the city says it’s work is far from done. It will continue working with partner organizations at the federal, state and local levels, as well as through its sister cities program.
“This recognition isn’t just about what we’ve done,” says Peter Gibbons, emergency management coordinator for the City of Longmont. “It’s also a promise to keep learning, leading, and supporting others as we build a more resilient world.”
