Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 19 - The intersection between risk, resilience and insurance

This episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast explores how risk, resilience and insurance measures come together to support the future of cities. The episode delves into innovative partnerships to strengthen climate resilience in Miami Dade County, with Galen Treuer from Miami Dade explaining how rising insurance costs due to hurricanes and flooding have impacted many residents.

Through the Resilient 305 initiative, Miami Dade is collaborating with Miami and Miami Beach to better manage regional climate risks. Peter Adams from insurance firm Howden also joins the conversation to discuss how the Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship (GRRF) aims to bridge the gap between cities and insurers facing climate change.

Discover how Miami Dade has worked with vulnerable communities to design parametric policies providing quick flood payouts, and why these policies target timing gaps where smaller flood events disproportionately impact low-income households without support networks.

Both Treuer and Adams emphasise the value of sharing local data with insurers. Treuer explains how canal water levels impact flooding in specific neighbourhoods, while Adams demonstrates how collaboration in Miami Dade creates a "safe space" for insurers to innovate based on new discoveries.

Finally, you can find out how multidisciplinary partnerships between climate, finance, engineering and other teams can boost resilience in cities, with inclusive collaboration across disciplines necessary to comprehensively address climate change through a variety of policy, engineering and insurance solutions.

About the guests

	Dr. Galen Treuer leads Climate Tech and Economic Innovation for Miami-Dade County. He works with the Mayor, Chief Resilience Officer, Chief Heat Officers, and the private sector to pursue the County’s climate resilience goals and catalyze regional investment in blue, green, and climate technology by bringing together a network of entrepreneurs, investors, businesses, academics, and community leaders. Dr. Treuer has worked on climate policy and solutions for over a decade and holds a Ph.D. in environmental science and policy from the University of Miami and a B.A. in economics from Oberlin College.
	Peter Adams is an Associate Director in the Climate Risk and Resilience team at Howden Group based in New York City. He has worked for over a decade to address climate risk through policy, design, and investment in the public and private sectors. For six years he was a Senior Policy Advisor in the New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. He also led on resilient infrastructure design at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He has consulted on the assessment and management of climate risk with companies, cities, and countries globally. He earned his Masters in Geography from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.