AIA promotes disaster risk reduction strategies for cities

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilient Cities Report, a document highlighting how mayors and architects can develop strategies to protect lives, strengthen community bonds, and build systems that can thrive under the threat of disasters.

AIA is reaching out to municipal leaders to foster disaster risk reduction strategies for cities. 2026 AIA President Illya Azaroff, FAIA, will address hundreds of attendees at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 94th Annual Meeting, in Long Beach, California. 

Azaroff will discuss how architects can support communities to prepare for disasters, strengthen resilience, and plan for long-term growth. City leaders face a complex set of interconnected, societal, fiscal, technological, natural, and physical systems that all affect one another, the report says. By engaging directly with mayors from across the country, AIA is elevating the role of architects as strategic partners in community leadership, according to an AIA news release.

“The meeting provides a unique platform to showcase how design can help cities become more resilient, equitable, and economically vibrant while creating new opportunities for architects to contribute their expertise in service of the public good,” the release says.