Articles by Greta Byrum

About Greta Byrum

Greta Byrum reimagines the way we design, build, control, and distribute communications systems. As Director of Resilient Communities for the policy institute New America, Greta oversees Resilient Networks NYC, an initiative providing training, tools, and equipment for storm-hardened local WiFi to residents of six Sandy-impacted neighborhoods.

Building Towards Resiliency with Healthy Digital Ecosystems

We are only starting to understand the power of networked technologies. And our learning comes at a cost: we are increasingly divided in our increasingly interconnected world.

We’re trying something new in New York: making communities more resilient by building healthy place-based digital ecosystems. Resilient Networks NYC is a multi-stakeholder partnership building local wireless networks in six Superstorm Sandy-impacted neighborhoods. In each neighborhood, New America’s Resilient Communities Program is partnering with a local community organization on the front lines of climate adaptation and economic resilience. With our support, our partners are training local residents as “Digital Stewards” to conduct outreach, collaborate with local businesses and leaders, and design, install, and maintain resilient public WiFi systems.