Architects Celebrate Passage of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is applauding Congressional passage of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZ) Act of 2022 (S. 3875), a bipartisan bill focused on resilience and equity by improving climate and natural hazard resilience among vulnerable communities.
This bill establishes a new CDRZ classification for communities that are simultaneously at high-risk of natural disaster and have low community resources. The bill recognizes that for communities to be resilient, we must consider factors that will impact their ability to recover, including social vulnerability and lower financial resources. If classified as a CDRZ community, the community will be eligible for additional federal cost-sharing support and technical assistance as it relates to local resilience planning and development. The bill also requires FEMA to maintain and update the National Risk Index, which will be utilized to identify and designate CDRZ communities that are most in need.