Thousand Oaks, California, is surrounded by a lush ring of green that includes its namesake oaks. “It is incredibly beautiful,” Mayor David Newman said. It’s also one of the city’s biggest liabilities. California now classifies 70% of Thousand Oaks as a “very high” fire hazard severity zone, according to Newman, who spoke during a panel on extreme heat at National League of Cities City Summit 2025 in Salt Lake City last month, demonstrating the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure.

And while Thousand Oaks was spared from the wildfires that hit the Los Angeles area earlier this year, it still faced record-breaking power outages that left thousands without power for more than 10 days and impacted city operations, including water and traffic lights, Newman said.

“We really had to step up our resiliency game as a result,” Newman said.

Like many cities across the U.S., Thousand Oaks is facing more extreme and unpredictable weather. In an effort to fight back against extreme weather, many cities are buckling down on resiliency goals and working to get the word out about the dangers to residents.

When Portland, Oregon, Councilor Candace Avalos first moved to the city 12 years ago, she was told it was rainy but “doesn’t really get hot,” she said. But Oregon has seen an increasing number of 90-degree days, which can devastate a city with infrastructure that historically lacks air conditioning.

Heat is the leading cause of weather-related death in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This year, Portland began exploring a “right to cooling” law that would require landlords to provide air conditioning units to tenants.

And as Salt Lake City also warms, its surrounding mountains can heighten the problem, Mayor Erin Mendenhall said.

“It makes for a really pretty place,” said Mendenhall of the landscape. “But it also traps pollution and traps heat.”

Salt Lake City recently invested climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly a solar farm to boost its renewable energy, according to Mendenhall. The solar farm saved the city $1 million in utility bills in its first year, Mendenhall said.

Read the full article about how cities are adapting to climate change by Ryan Kushner at Smart Cities Dive.