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Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence
What does it mean to be a resilient city in the age of a changing climate and growing inequity? As urban populations grow, how do we create efficient transportation systems, access to healthy green space, and lower-carbon buildings for all citizens?
Peter Newman, Timothy Beatley, and Heather Boyer respond to these questions in the revised and updated edition of Resilient Cities . Since the first edition was published in 2009, interest in resilience has surged, in part due to increasingly frequent and deadly natural disasters, and in part due to the contribution of our cities to climate change. The number of new initiatives and approaches from citizens and all levels of government show the promise as well as the challenges of creating cities that are truly resilient.
The authors’ hopeful approach to creating cities that are not only resilient, but striving to become regenerative, is now organized around their characteristics of a resilient city. A resilient city is one that uses renewable and distributed energy; has an efficient and regenerative metabolism; offers inclusive and healthy places; fosters biophilic and naturally adaptive systems; is invested in disaster preparedness; and is designed around efficient urban fabrics that allow for sustainable mobility.
Resilient Cities, Second Edition reveals how the resilient city characteristics have been achieved in communities around the globe. The authors offer stories, insights, and inspiration for urban planners, policymakers, and professionals interested in creating more sustainable, equitable, and, eventually, regenerative cities. Most importantly, the book is about overcoming fear and generating hope in our cities. Cities will need to claim a different future that helps us regenerate the whole planet–this is the challenge of resilient cities.
Peter Newman, Timothy Beatley, and Heather Boyer respond to these questions in the revised and updated edition of Resilient Cities . Since the first edition was published in 2009, interest in resilience has surged, in part due to increasingly frequent and deadly natural disasters, and in part due to the contribution of our cities to climate change. The number of new initiatives and approaches from citizens and all levels of government show the promise as well as the challenges of creating cities that are truly resilient.
The authors’ hopeful approach to creating cities that are not only resilient, but striving to become regenerative, is now organized around their characteristics of a resilient city. A resilient city is one that uses renewable and distributed energy; has an efficient and regenerative metabolism; offers inclusive and healthy places; fosters biophilic and naturally adaptive systems; is invested in disaster preparedness; and is designed around efficient urban fabrics that allow for sustainable mobility.
Resilient Cities, Second Edition reveals how the resilient city characteristics have been achieved in communities around the globe. The authors offer stories, insights, and inspiration for urban planners, policymakers, and professionals interested in creating more sustainable, equitable, and, eventually, regenerative cities. Most importantly, the book is about overcoming fear and generating hope in our cities. Cities will need to claim a different future that helps us regenerate the whole planet–this is the challenge of resilient cities.
- GenresCities
264 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Peter Newman
185 books14 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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February 1, 2018
I hesitated reading this book about “resilient cities” because reviews for the first edition were mixed (some enthusiastic, other pointing a lack of thoroughness, details and clear argumentation). And also the book cover does not look so great. While my early feelings were mixed reading the first chapters, I must say I have no regret having read it. It is worth going beyond the surface.
It happens to be a well-structured book detailing 4 areas of solutions to build resiliency: renewable and distributed energy; sustainable mobility systems; inclusive and healthy cities; biophilic urbanism to bring nature back to the cities. It then emphasises that preparing for future threats is both unavoidable and manageable. It finaly offers some perspectives on how cities could at last regenerate themselves and their environment, to reach finally a “positive footprint” and not a negative one. Though clearly an utopia, it provides encouraging examples.
First chapter is about energy. distributed energy, as it is bound to become dominant according to the authors. They make very clever and strong points as to what could happen to make these distributed energy networks dominant, though power grid remaining a necessity. However they could have more thoroughly explained what would be consequences for energy utilities, especially when power grid and energy generation are not managed by the same company, since the balance of power might change. Are power grid companies ready to go for it? Not so sure. More insights on country policies and energy mix before transition to distributed energy would make sense. I live in France were energy mix, political and business structures of power all combine to make sure this won't happen soon. What are the prerequisites for evolution? At the end of the day, what are the advantages of distributed energy? Especially when she take into account losses in conversion (to battery system) or to the ground when we do not produce at the right time. A better benchmark of traditional VS distributed energy would be great (there was some evocation of it) since it is the common grieves against distributed and sustainable energy: final cost, CO2 and resiliency balance.
Mobility systems was good. As far as I can judge working myself on this specific topic. Yes transitioning to renewable fuels of all kinds is inevitable. No autonomous vehicles are not the answer to all our problems. Though it could marginally improve the system and could help change the face of our cities, it could be for good or evil, and we must prepare for consequences. Are autonomous vehicles the same as cars? This will be a tough question. If they are cars they should be allowed (almost) freely in cities like today, and this will be a nightmare. If they are not, they become part of a regulated and planned transport system, that could bring huge benefits but brings in new challenges.
Inclusive and healthy cities are a lot about housing. Reading this part from France was a lot of fun. This was a manifesto for public and affordable housing, and lots of innovations presented looked like standard and very common practice in France and many European countries. Actually it made appear countries like the US or Australia a bit like third-world and inegalitarian countries :-) In fact authors could have used more "advanced" countries to draw case studies to learn what are limitations and challenges to these social innovations.
Prepare for disaster, as it will happen. And make it an opportunity not only to "recover", but to restore and do better. Very good examples of cities that used disaster as an opportunity to rebuild with a better mindset, with resiliency, quality of life and inclusivity in mind. Please do not make the same errors again and again. Also an interesting chapter about "slow-moving disasters". How to tackle long-term changes that are observed and planned, unavoidable. Here straightforward solutions might not be the best, and collective intelligence is an asset to build upon.
Biophilic urbanism is important and paves the way to designing cities that are not only livable and desirable, but also generates some kind of "positive footprint". It is amazing what amount of wildlife we can have in a city if we enable it. However I would have liked a discussion on the drawbacks and challenges. I have been involved in a series of property development projects with lots of "green stuff", and I definitely enjoy it. But I always wonder what are long-term impacts, how to manage this wildlife and green areas. What happens if maintenance costs explode, if nobody takes care of these green surfaces, and so on. At the end of the day, what is the business and operational model that makes it sustainable?
Conclusion on new ways to make the city an utopia for regeneration is welcome. It is still an utopia as long as the "rebond effect" holds true. As long as we use efficiency improvements to consume more, move faster, and so on, there is no hope this would happen. Which means we need to change our mindset. Collectively.
You should read this book if you want a 360-view of cities and their environment, through the lens of better than sustainability, resilience. If you are proficient in one specific field (energy, mobility, urbanism), you may find useful insights on other fields and how to connect them. Examples are very useful, though as often authors focus on the shiny side of their use cases, and it would be worth to dig a bit to better understand challenges and shortcomings of each project and initiative.
This review is part of my list of "52 books for mobility, work and cities"
It happens to be a well-structured book detailing 4 areas of solutions to build resiliency: renewable and distributed energy; sustainable mobility systems; inclusive and healthy cities; biophilic urbanism to bring nature back to the cities. It then emphasises that preparing for future threats is both unavoidable and manageable. It finaly offers some perspectives on how cities could at last regenerate themselves and their environment, to reach finally a “positive footprint” and not a negative one. Though clearly an utopia, it provides encouraging examples.
First chapter is about energy. distributed energy, as it is bound to become dominant according to the authors. They make very clever and strong points as to what could happen to make these distributed energy networks dominant, though power grid remaining a necessity. However they could have more thoroughly explained what would be consequences for energy utilities, especially when power grid and energy generation are not managed by the same company, since the balance of power might change. Are power grid companies ready to go for it? Not so sure. More insights on country policies and energy mix before transition to distributed energy would make sense. I live in France were energy mix, political and business structures of power all combine to make sure this won't happen soon. What are the prerequisites for evolution? At the end of the day, what are the advantages of distributed energy? Especially when she take into account losses in conversion (to battery system) or to the ground when we do not produce at the right time. A better benchmark of traditional VS distributed energy would be great (there was some evocation of it) since it is the common grieves against distributed and sustainable energy: final cost, CO2 and resiliency balance.
Mobility systems was good. As far as I can judge working myself on this specific topic. Yes transitioning to renewable fuels of all kinds is inevitable. No autonomous vehicles are not the answer to all our problems. Though it could marginally improve the system and could help change the face of our cities, it could be for good or evil, and we must prepare for consequences. Are autonomous vehicles the same as cars? This will be a tough question. If they are cars they should be allowed (almost) freely in cities like today, and this will be a nightmare. If they are not, they become part of a regulated and planned transport system, that could bring huge benefits but brings in new challenges.
Inclusive and healthy cities are a lot about housing. Reading this part from France was a lot of fun. This was a manifesto for public and affordable housing, and lots of innovations presented looked like standard and very common practice in France and many European countries. Actually it made appear countries like the US or Australia a bit like third-world and inegalitarian countries :-) In fact authors could have used more "advanced" countries to draw case studies to learn what are limitations and challenges to these social innovations.
Prepare for disaster, as it will happen. And make it an opportunity not only to "recover", but to restore and do better. Very good examples of cities that used disaster as an opportunity to rebuild with a better mindset, with resiliency, quality of life and inclusivity in mind. Please do not make the same errors again and again. Also an interesting chapter about "slow-moving disasters". How to tackle long-term changes that are observed and planned, unavoidable. Here straightforward solutions might not be the best, and collective intelligence is an asset to build upon.
Biophilic urbanism is important and paves the way to designing cities that are not only livable and desirable, but also generates some kind of "positive footprint". It is amazing what amount of wildlife we can have in a city if we enable it. However I would have liked a discussion on the drawbacks and challenges. I have been involved in a series of property development projects with lots of "green stuff", and I definitely enjoy it. But I always wonder what are long-term impacts, how to manage this wildlife and green areas. What happens if maintenance costs explode, if nobody takes care of these green surfaces, and so on. At the end of the day, what is the business and operational model that makes it sustainable?
Conclusion on new ways to make the city an utopia for regeneration is welcome. It is still an utopia as long as the "rebond effect" holds true. As long as we use efficiency improvements to consume more, move faster, and so on, there is no hope this would happen. Which means we need to change our mindset. Collectively.
You should read this book if you want a 360-view of cities and their environment, through the lens of better than sustainability, resilience. If you are proficient in one specific field (energy, mobility, urbanism), you may find useful insights on other fields and how to connect them. Examples are very useful, though as often authors focus on the shiny side of their use cases, and it would be worth to dig a bit to better understand challenges and shortcomings of each project and initiative.
This review is part of my list of "52 books for mobility, work and cities"
Displaying 1 of 1 review