Enabling a resilient future: exploring the governance and leadership of urban design in the UK

Abstract

In this era of accelerated globalisation and urbanisation, city systems are on a trajectory of change that are not being effectively supported by current urban governance structures. Current approaches are not embedding the required urban system characteristics needed to be adaptive in the face of change. A complex-adaptive systems approach is needed, and the active designing of optimum system characteristics for better resilience is therefore required. To date multiple theories of resilience have been adopted into urban design theory with little substantiation. This is problematic for designing places able to cope with social-ecological change and to live within planetary boundaries. The thesis fills this gap in understanding by substantiating the use of a conceptual resilience framework to inform urban design, and in doing so strengthen the governance of planning and regeneration.

The research is approached through a qualitative evidence synthesis that compares evolving theories of resilience. Case studies across UK regions are assessed to understand if resilience is embedded within masterplanning processes using an established urban futures methodology. Interrogation of a range of place-based leaders involved help identify where and how adaptive capacity has been built through the urban design decision-making process. A framework of ten resilience principles for adaptive planning and design are validated. These are: functional and response diversity, overlapping governance and redundancy, modularity, tight feedbacks, acknowledging slow variables, social capital, innovation, ecosystem services, learning and multi-scalar networks.

The thesis concludes with ten lessons for mobilising urban resilience. In doing so, it suggests governance and leadership approaches that help resolve a series of theoretical tensions in urban design. Lessons support the enablement of adaptive capacity and resilience through improved urban design decision making processes in the UK. The conclusions drawn urge for more evaluative and action-based research to substantiate urban design as a valuable tool for
improving urban resilience.

Date of Award	Jun 2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Neale Blair (Supervisor) & Gavan Rafferty (Supervisor)