This issue of Evidence Matters examines the factors that make regions more resilient in the face of stresses, whether they are long-term industrial declines or unforeseeable shocks such as natural disasters. The lead story details how local capacity, leadership, and community connections can help regions avoid or recover from stresses and explores how the Obama administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities pilot initiative is helping to grow capacity in some of America’s hardest-hit areas. The second article delves into the evolution of research into regional resilience and considers several recent efforts to more completely understand what factors affect resilience. Finally, the practice-focused article discusses how the growth of poverty in suburban areas has strained local governments and foundations, and how cross-sector partnerships in Chicago’s South Suburbs and in Chester, Pennsylvania have filled in gaps to support vulnerable residents.

In this Issue:

• Growing Toward the Future: Building Capacity for Local Economic Development
• Conceptualizing and Measuring Resilience
• Meeting the Challenges of Suburban Poverty
• Additional Resources