by Shamim Ahad
Resilient Cities not only survive, they thrive. They endure. And they bounce back in the face of adverse circumstances. In order to build a solid urban backbone, which will stand up to the environmental and social challenges of the 21st century, we need new ideas and policies from people who can envision a better and more sustainable world.
Resilientcity.org was launched in May 2009 with three main objectives. Firstly, to raise awareness and clarify how the combination of climate change and Peak Oil will negatively impact the future planning and design of cities and urban buildings. Secondly, to facilitate the discussion and exchange of ideas as they relate to more resilient urban planning and design strategies. Thirdly, to act as a comprehensive planning and design resource for professionals who are committed to building more resilient cities.
The ResilientCity Design Network is a non-profit organization linking architects, engineers, landscape architects and urban planners who are interested in developing practical design concepts, strategies and solutions in order to address the combined global challenges of climate change and Peak Oil before they become unmanageable realities. In an era of looming environmental and financial uncertainty, the greatest tools we have at our disposal are our ideas and a commitment to see them through to fruition.
Sustainable urban planning and building design paves the way for de-carbonized, self-sufficient social and economic ecosystems. The preparations that we begin today will have many positive cascading effects in the future. The ResilientCity initiative seeks to bring together a diverse community of people whose experience, expertise and imagination will help create the tools required to solve those challenges presented by Peak Oil induced de-powering and climate change. Urban Resilience will require a complex integration of planning and design decisions whose ultimate objective will transform our hugely energy-intensive urban economic ecosystems into much less energy-intensive and carbon-intensive ones.
To coincide with the website launch, the ResilientCity Network is announcing the ResilientCity Ideas Design Competition to help raise awareness of urban resiliency while generating design and planning exemplars. Choose from four scenarios (urban planning and building design) and showcase your innovative ideas for a better future.
For a complete listing of the rules and scenarios please visit www.resilientcity.org and click on the Design Competition tab. Contest ends AUGUST 31, 2009.
Resilientcity.org gladly accepts contributions from architects, urban planners, engineers, landscape architects and environmental scientists. Moderated by Toronto architect and urban designer, Craig Applegath, this site acknowledges some urgent realities and in response suggests avenues for collective action. Greater public involvement will result in cascading synergies from which better solutions will appear. If you would like to contribute ideas or resources to the site, or provide feedback, please email: input@resilientcity.org.