Resilient Cities at WPSC

Resilience thinking: dramatically cutting carbon in the next decades and improving liveability - were themes of Peter Newman's presentation at the World Planning Schools Congress. Human place-based development of neighbourhoods, with sustainable densities, and balancing transport with (pedestrian) liveability, also involves reducing motor use. Scores of large cities in China and India currently building metro systems are cited as an example of a transformation towards transit oriented development. Resilience as a concept comes from a new urgency towards making sustainability principles practically feasible in a shorter term future.

There are a lot of buzzwords and shorthand terms especially in these planning policy debates. However a geographically localised approach seems to be needed, analysing and agreeing with local stakeholders on the basic principles for social and environmental sustainability of a neighbourhood. Seems good in theory; how will we take up these themes in architectural and planning education and in professional development?