Resilience as a framework for urbanism and recovery

Abstract

Theories of recovery planning and urban design share a common interest in providing for the health and safety of urban communities. However, the requirements of safe refuge and recovery after a disturbance, such as an earthquake, are sometimes at odds with theories of urbanism. This paper proposes the concept of resilience and its interdependent attributes as a way of aligning these theories. It tests the concept through a focus on two case studies, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the Chile earthquake of 2010. The key to the successful integration of recovery planning and urban design lies in a shift of thinking that sees resilience as a framework for the design of urban space so that it can not only contribute significantly to the quality of everyday urban life but also can be adapted as essential life support and an agent of recovery in the event of a disaster.

Keywords:

• Adaptability
• landscape architecture
• recovery
• resilience
• urban design