Resilient Public Spaces for Healthy Living

Summary

Public spaces play an essential role in building resilience in cities and are crucial for urban life to flourish. They represent an opportunity for comprehensive climate adaptation and improved resilience. According to Katherine Peinhardt of the German Development Institute, ‘to successfully work toward a resilient public realm, cities must evolve their practice relating to public spaces in four areas: the ways public spaces are subject to the outcomes of community engagement and how public spaces are designed, programmed, and managed. … It is increasingly clear that the unique role of public spaces in civic life positions them to enhance physical resilience and support the types of interpersonal connections essential to addressing shared challenges like the climate crisis.’ Thus, as a vital part of a city’s physical infrastructure and public realm, public spaces can be physically reinforced to absorb or weather the climate crisis's shocks while contributing to the community's human health. Accordingly, this declared action intends to search for the answers to the following questions through expertise/focus group meetings and scientific events: • What is the role of public space in creating resilient cities? • Can public spaces be designed in such a way that they support better resilience and healthy living in cities? • What is the role of resilient public spaces for healthy living? • How can we promote resiliency and healthy living through public spaces? • Can we create positive transformation and better resilience in cities through the good design of public spaces? • Can public spaces provide networks of resilience through our cities? The results of these meetings will be gathered in a published book. The action also includes launching and carrying out a social-media awareness event on the topic with a sub-theme of "successful public spaces for healthy and resilient environments."