Three Features of Resilient Urban Communities

As Urban October comes to a close, we consider the idea of architecture for resilient communities and how architecture can contribute to resilience. Resiliency is the capacity to adapt to or withstand difficult conditions. With the economic and social upheavals of the past few years, we have seen firsthand the need for resilient community-building in our cities — places that can withstand the stresses of changing environments, economies, and populations and create reliable and impactful communities where people can thrive. These resilient communities are the foundation for future growth and investment in cities.

Through our history of community engagement and important cultural projects in the Intermountain West, we know that when people are invested in their communities and the spaces they inhabit, they are more likely to show resilience in the face of economic downturn, a global pandemic, and uncertainty. As architects, designers, and community members, we can take responsibility for the buildings we create, ensuring they foster a community that will be able to withstand our rapidly changing urban environment.

“Places that can withstand the stresses of changing environments, economies, and populations create reliable and impactful communities where people can thrive. These resilient communities are the foundation for future growth and investment in cities.”

Incorporating diversity, connectivity, and placemaking in our design of urban spaces promotes personal well-being for urban residents, which contributes to an increased investment in the community as a whole.

1. Diversity

The first step to kickstarting community engagement is offering a diversity of activities and opportunities. The Power of 10+ is a concept created by the Project for Public Spaces based on the idea that “cities succeed or fail at the human scale,” and that cities and the places within them thrive when humans have diverse reasons to be there. As a general rule, the Power of 10+ asserts that designers should strive to create places with at least 10 possible activities in any given area.?

The idea behind the Power of 10+ applies both to the city community as a whole and to the microcosms that exist inside it, like neighborhoods, shopping centers, apartment complexes, and other gathering places. A park, for example, may incorporate the Power of 10+ by adding lawns, sitting areas, playgrounds, art installations, water features, sports equipment, community gardens, amphitheaters, cafes, food stalls, dog and pet areas, walking/running/biking paths, or other features into the design to give people multiple reasons to interact with the space.

A diversity of amenities can also promote the diversity of engaged individuals. When we design spaces that accommodate people of different ages, races, incomes, genders, abilities, and religions, communities are exposed to opportunities for social learning. Individual diversity promotes community resilience as different ideas and cultures come together to form a united identity. In addition to diverse activities, designers can promote cultural diversity through features that accommodate various populations in our communities, such as multilingual signage and aesthetic choices, gender-neutral bathrooms, increased lighting and other public safety features, and ramps to aid those with strollers or decreased mobility.

2. Connectivity

Access to resources, open space, and activity centers all contribute to increased physical and mental health. As real estate prices increase, it is becoming more and more difficult to preserve open, outdoor spaces in urban areas while maintaining walkability, access, and an affordable cost of living.

In addition to the individual spaces where residents will live, modern designers must consider how living spaces will fit into the framework of a community and find innovative ways to preserve open spaces as housing density must increase to accommodate rising populations in our cities. Cluster developments aid in the preservation of open, outdoor space while meeting the population’s need for affordable housing. This development type groups living spaces together to increase housing density while preserving natural landscape features and large open areas that the community can share and enjoy.?

Incorporating activity hubs and areas with multiple compatible uses into cluster developments also helps to maintain the diversity of amenities required for a healthy community even when there is limited physical space to accommodate it.

Hubs also promote triangulation, or the process of creating links between people through elements of the built environment. The goal of triangulation is to design spaces that promote spontaneous interactions, thereby increasing a sense of community through social relationships and a shared experience of place. Triangulation can be as simple as the placement of art installations and seating next to each other, giving people opportunities to linger and interact within shared spaces together.

Triangulating different aspects of the environment also promotes the individual use of each. A bench placed near an art installation makes it easier to sit and enjoy the art, while the art installation near the bench makes it a more pleasant and desirable place to linger. Designers can use the principle of triangulation to promote connectivity between people and potentially build lasting relationships. In essence, triangulation builds on the concept of diversity by providing connections between amenities and promoting spontaneous social interactions.?

Strengthening community and social relationships has the potential to significantly impact urban life. Studies, including one published by the German Medical Association , have shown that people raised in cities are more likely to have a mental illness than those raised in rural settings. This increase has been attributed to factors such as higher concentrations of poverty and segregation present in urban areas; a lack of green space and walkability; and increased air, water, light, and noise pollution.

Increased social isolation in urban areas has also been cited as a contributing factor to decreased urban well-being. As cities grow and our lives become more and more virtual, distancing us from our physical communities, some have even referred to our time as a “loneliness epidemic.” Connectivity could be the means of combating this epidemic to build resilient and thriving communities.

3. Placemaking

While space makes up the physical locations where we live, work, and play, place refers to the personal and social meanings we create through interactions with the spaces we inhabit and the people with whom we share those spaces. Just as we all recognize the proverbial difference between a house and a home, placemaking is an important part of fostering pride and long-term investment in a community by turning cities into homes.

Paying attention to aesthetics is important to promote placemaking. People want to surround themselves with beautiful places. The emerging field of neuroaesthetics studies how our brains respond to beauty in the environment and how aesthetic experiences impact health and well-being. Findings from multiple studies show that people are happier and healthier when they live in beautiful places. The architecture that surrounds us can affect not only our mood but also sleep quality, stress levels, and physical health. Color, natural light, fresh air, and living architecture are all ways designers can create unique and beautiful environments that promote the health of their inhabitants.

The presence of third places also encourages placemaking and investment in a community. A third place refers to a social environment different from the two environments of home and work. Third places can include community or recreation centers, gyms, libraries, churches, bars, parks, bookstores, restaurants, and other public spaces. These third places encourage recreation, relaxation, and socialization.

Through the process of placemaking, urban residents turn the buildings and sidewalks where they live and work into places in which they have feelings, memories, and social connections. These human emotions are what promote the sense of community pride that will help them endure difficult times.?

Working Together to Build Resilience

Working hand in hand with clients and residents, architects and designers can have a profound impact on community health and resilience. Each project is an opportunity to create something better for the community.

About the Author

Rachel is an emerging leader in urban planning and design with a focus on master planning, community engagement, urban design, and geographic information science. Her experience in analyzing, understanding, and envisioning spaces allows her to create comprehensive solutions for the communities she proudly serves. Thoughtful, organized and an exceptional communicator, she aims to approach each project with an open mind and the client’s needs in focus.