Header image

Rise of Community Resilience Hubs: Essential Infrastructure for Resilient Communities

Monday, July 14, 2025
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM

Overview

Illya Azaroff FAIA, Principal +lab Architect, Professor Citytech CUNY


Speaker

Agenda Item Image
Mr. Illya Azaroff
FAIA, principal +lab Architect, Professor
New York City College of Technology (CUNY)

Rise of Community Resilience Hubs: Essential Infrastructure for Resilient Communities

Abstract

Community resilience hubs are vital infrastructure for fostering strength and adaptability within neighborhoods, particularly in vulnerable or underserved areas. These hubs serve as trusted spaces that provide year-round resources, programs, and services to strengthen social ties, preserve cultural traditions, and enhance local capacity to face challenges. While resilience hubs are often retrofitted from existing facilities like libraries, schools, or recreation centers, there is an increasing need for purpose-built facilities that incorporate sustainable, culturally relevant, and adaptive designs.A critical determinant in the design and function of resilience hubs is the integration of Indigenous wisdom and practices. Indigenous knowledge systems, rooted in generations of lived experience, offer valuable insights into sustainable land use, resource management, and community cohesion. Incorporating these principles into the planning and operation of resilience hubs ensures they are not only environmentally and socially responsive but also deeply connected to the cultural and historical fabric of the communities they serve. For example, Indigenous approaches to water conservation, food security, and climate adaptation can guide the creation of spaces that respect natural cycles and promote regenerative practices.By combining the retrofitting of existing spaces with the construction of new facilities informed by Indigenous wisdom, resilience hubs can become models of sustainable and equitable community development. They act as central nodes of support, reducing the impacts of crises by coordinating services like emergency response, renewable energy access, and climate adaptation tools, while fostering long-term wellbeing and social cohesion. Their success depends on inclusive, participatory approaches that honor diverse perspectives and ensure they meet the unique needs of the communities they serve.

Biography

Illya Azaroff, FAIA, is an architect, geographer, and professor at New York City College of Technology (CUNY). As founding principal of +lab Architect, he champions underserved communities and specializes in disaster mitigation, resilience, and regenerative design. A co-founding advisor of the Kalinago Institute for Global Resilience and Regeneration (KIGRR) in Dominica. In 2023 he earned the Star of Oceana award for his work in the Pacific and Caribbean. Azaroff has contributed to critical initiatives, including the New York State Climate Impact Assessment and NYC’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. With over 30 years of experience, he will serve as AIA National President in 2026.
loading