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.

“Working with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, AIA was able to bolster bipartisan Congressional support for the CDRZ Act. This legislation addresses key priorities within AIA’s strategic imperatives to promote climate action and equity in the built environment. It recognizes a fundamental truth that we as a society must confront: the communities most likely to bear the brunt of the impact of climate change are often the communities least able to recover financially when disasters strike.” said 2022 President of The American Institute of Architects Dan Hart, FAIA. “We thank Congress for passing, and President Biden in advance for signing, this important bill into law.”