More than a decade ago, I convened local government thought leaders to talk about how the conversation in our communities was changing. In earlier years, much of the focus was on being “green.” Then the conversation evolved to sustainability. 

Over time, it became clear that local government leaders also needed a broader frame—one that accounts not only for environmental stewardship, but also for fiscal strength, organizational capacity, and the ability to respond to disruption. That frame is resilience.

Today, resilience shapes how we think about nearly every aspect of public service. It applies to people, institutions, finances, and infrastructure. For local governments, resilient infrastructure means more than maintaining roads, bridges, water systems, and public facilities. It means planning, investing, and managing in ways that help communities withstand stress, recover from disruption, and adapt to what comes next. As disasters become more frequent and costly in many places, that work has become increasingly urgent.

The June issue of PM is devoted to resilient infrastructure and the many dimensions of that work. The articles explore how local government leaders are optimizing operations while protecting fiscal soundness, responding to infrastructure failures in ways that preserve public trust, making bold decisions to sustain community connections, using data and technology to strengthen confidence in government, planning for demographic change, and building regional partnerships that expand capacity beyond any single jurisdiction. Together, they remind us that resilience is not a single project or asset. It is a way of leading, planning, and governing for the long term.

I often hear people dismiss a promising idea because it comes from a community that is much larger or smaller than their own. But the most useful practices are useful precisely because they can be scaled and adapted to different contexts. This month’s issue offers examples of resilience in action—from fiscal sustainability and infrastructure failure response to mobility for aging populations and the role of public trust in community strength.

Public trust may seem less tangible than roads, water systems, or transit networks, but it, too, is part of what makes a community resilient. This issue offers a broader view of infrastructure and reminds us that resilience is not a fixed destination, but an ongoing practice of adapting, investing, and leading for the future. I hope you find practical insights and solutions and I look forward to listening as this conversation continues to evolve.

JULIA D. NOVAK, ICMA-CM, is executive director of ICMA.