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Chicago hires 'chief resilience officer' - whatever that is

What the heck is a "chief resilience officer" anyway? And how in the world did Chicago ever get along without one?

After announcing and filling the new job bankrolled by the Rockefeller Foundation, Mayor Rahm Emanuel struggled to explain just what it is that former Deputy Water Management Commissioner Aaron Koch would be doing in the newly created job.

The only thing we know for sure is that somebody other than Chicago taxpayers is paying Koch's salary.

"When we used to make investments as a city - we're making 'em in the water and sewer area or paving or playgrounds - we would see that playground" in an isolated fashion, Emanuel said.

"Now, thinking about how you make those investments ... in a way that's also an environmentally smart way to retain water and do it in a way where you're not just creating runoff. [It's] a way to see things in a more kind of integrated way," he said. "Holistic would be another way to put it. From environmental to social policies to educational policies."

Resilience is defined as the ability to bounce back from major setbacks.

That means the new chief resilience officer will focus on helping Chicago recover more quickly from "shocks like flooding or blizzards" and better planning development projects to minimize the environmental impact.

See the full story here.

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