Resilient, Sustainable Cities:
A Future
Dr Leonie J. Pearson
Dr Leonie Pearson
Senior Research Fellow,
University of Canberra - Institute for Governance and Public Policy
Cheney Fellow
Leeds University – Sustainability Research Institute
Context
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
City Resilience
• 4 Dimensions
• 12 Drivers
• (based on) 7 Qualities
Found at http://www.100resilientcities.org
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Sustainable City
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
High
(Safe water, equal, productive
& biodiversity rich)
Goal
Sustainable
Cities
Practices
Low
Low
Resilient Cities
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
High
(Reflective, Robust, Flexible
and inclusive)
Core Practices
Goal
Opportunities
1. Be Dynamic
Collective visioning for low- Public-policy caution linked
carbon, equitable food,
to electoral cycles
shelter
2. Start with people and
place
Community participation in No shared narrative:
planning. Balance &
separate stakeholder views
compromise using
and within government
examples
3. Collaboration & social
cohesion
Working with grassroots
Inertia and desire to
organizations, explicit
minimize risk (esp. political
policy objectives & support risk).
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Blockers
Core Practices
Goal
Opportunities
Blockers
4. Maximise equity,
employment & justice
Housing tenure, change in
institutions, leadership
engaged with community
Lack of connection
between community
activism & strategic gov.
action
5. Design to address
externalities
Integrated co-production
design for multiple
purposes, e.g. recreation,
carbon sequestration,
flood mitigation
Disconnect between shot
and long term evaluations
6. Value & enhance
greenspace
Green design
No scaling procedures,
public zoning and time
7. Technological innovation Private and public interest
through collaborative
research
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Legitimacy and salience to
funders and users
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
3 Pathways
Adaptation
Adjustment in the
urban system
Marginal change;
technology, practices
and organizations.
Transition
Gradual continual
process of societal
change
Incremental change
to secure goals
Transformation
Change in the city
system and/ or
environmental
context
Reform change
focused on
overarching social
norms, political
regime
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Redeveloping
Melbourne
Practices
Achieved
Be Dynamic
Somewhat
Start with people
Yes
Collaborate & cohesion
Yes
Maximise equity
Yes
Design for externalities
No
Value greenspace
Yes
Technological
innovation
Yes
Adaptation Pathway
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Reusing
Dublin
Practices
Achieved
Be Dynamic
Yes
Start with people
Yes
Collaborate & cohesion
Yes
Maximise equity
Yes
Design for externalities
No
Value greenspace
No
Technological
innovation
Yes
Transition Pathway
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Parklets in
San Fran
Practices
Achieved
Be Dynamic
Yes
Start with people
Yes
Collaborate & cohesion
Mostly
Maximise equity
Yes
Design for externalities
No
Value greenspace
Yes
Technological
innovation
No
Transformation Pathway
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
• 3 cities - 3 pathways to achieving resilient
sustainable cities
• Is any one pathway better?
Community specificity & scaling; depending
on need, people, environment and infrastructure
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
Resilient Sustainable Cities: A future
• One step
– One event – TEDx Carlton
– One workshop
– One Journal Special Issue
‘Sustainable Urbanisation: a resilient future’
Ecological Economics (2013)
– One book
• Lots of steps happening;
– TURAS; Transitioning Towards
Urban Resilience &
Sustainability in EU
– 100RC
Summary
Q1. What are the practices to achieve Resilient Sustainable
Cities?
• Resilient Sustainable cities are about continuous change and
improvement – not a static state!
• Outlined 7 practical ways to achieve these goals
Q2. How can we achieve Resilient Sustainable Cities?
• Outlined 3 pathways to achieve these gaols: adaptation, transition and
transformation
• Showed how in 3 case studies: Melbourne, Dublin & San Francisco
Dr Leonie J. Pearson
E: leonie.pearson@canberra.edu.au