This year's theme for World Architecture Day is "Architecture for Resilient Communities." The objective is to understand "…how to best respond to today's climatic and social challenges." The UIA asks architects to rethink current "…planning instruments for the organization of territories and the production of environmentally and socially respectful architecture."
As architects and designers, we are embracing the question presented by the UIA. We asked ourselves what "resiliency" means to us, our practice, and the profession.
In the broader sense, resiliency is the ability to recover quickly from challenges and hardships - to move forward even in the face of adversity. For architects and how we engage with our communities – the ones we design for and with, resiliency is embracing challenges and finding new and innovative ways to address these challenges and prepare communities for today and into the future. As professionals, it is within our capacity (and responsibility) to use our skills in ways that better our communal future.
Resilient architecture includes everything from buildings that can withstand the impacts of climate change to spaces that support community well-being to communities that support a diversity of housing typologies – creating "architecture for resilient communities" is a responsible act that architects and designers worldwide must respond to.
Architecture for resilient communities is… sustainable.
To be resilient, we must revise our planning policies to support increased density in our urban core, where access to existing infrastructure and mass transit should be readily available or in the process of becoming available. Increasing density in our cities is an environmentally responsible choice. By increasing density, we reduce urban sprawl – leading to less reliance on cars and more focus on transit (Discourage Urban Sprawl, 2023). Reducing urban sprawl helps combat car traffic, makes cities and neighbourhoods more walkable, and minimizes the complete destruction of valuable green space and farmland.
We must consider the long-term impact of our construction choices on the city and the environment. It has been said that "…the most sustainable building is the one that is already built." (Souza, Eduardo. 2022) We must think holistically about a building's relationship with the environment. Sustainable and environmentally conscious design is more than checking a box or fulfilling a specific criteria list; it's about designing buildings with the environment and community in mind from the onset. As architects, we must commit to re-using building stock when appropriate, using environmentally responsible materials in our designs, and designing buildings with reduced or no carbon impact. We must not see these as challenges that hold back design but as opportunities to achieve design excellence.
Architecture for resilient communities is… inclusive.
We must combat nimbyism – “not in my backyard.” In early 2020, former Mayor Watson of Ottawa declared a housing and homelessness emergency. Ottawa became the first city in Canada to do so. There is no question that Canada is in a housing crisis. We need more housing, especially housing that is affordable. Resiliency is about supporting our communities and neighbours, so we all have a place to call home. A report by the Hey Neighbour Collective noted that there are unique characteristics of high-density neighbourhoods that influence a positive "social quality of life." (Hey Neighbour Collective, 2023) Factors that affect communities include an architecture that supports a diversity of socio-economic classes, a mixture of individual and household characteristics, a mix of private and public space – and the interstitial spaces between, access to quality green space and amenities, and a diversity of building architecture that respects local tradition, embraces innovation, fosters community engagement and in many cases inspires.
Architecture for resilient communities means creating projects that support the diverse ecosystem of cities. It's about designing buildings that support the immediate needs of the people who use them and the larger needs of the community surrounding them.
Architecture for resilient communities is… adaptable.
We must have the foresight to design for the challenges ahead. A city is a living ecosystem; it is not static. Therefore, Architecture cannot remain static either; it lives and breathes, changing over time. Communities must be able to adapt to the changes imposed on them by the environment, technology, politics, and the people who live and work there, as well as leave or adopt it as their own.
As architects, we must understand that the buildings we design will change over time; the better we prepare them for the changes they will endure, the more resilient the communities they support will be. Resiliency means having the foresight to understand and see the ongoing challenges - to be less reactionary and more thoughtful about the future so that the architecture we build today will be long-lasting.
Finally, you can't have resiliency without hope. Above all, regardless of our challenges, as architects and as people, we must work together to design a world that gives us hope - for kids, the planet, and the future generations that will call these communities home.
World Architecture Day:
World Architecture Day was created in 1985 by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and is celebrated on the first Monday of October in parallel with UN World Habitat Day. World Architecture Day is an opportunity to recognize how architecture contributes to our daily lives and the architect's important role. As a means to focus the conversation on a relevant and meaningful discussion point, the UIA introduces a theme for World Architecture Day every year.
References:
Balintec, Vanessa. "What is NIMBYism and how is it affecting how much housing is getting built?" (July 20, 2023) CBC, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nimbyism-explainer-1.6909852
"Discourage Urban Sprawl," (2023) David Suzuki Foundation, https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/discourage-urban-sprawl/
Hey Neighbour Collective. "How does housing density really affect life in cities?" (February 22, 2023) Hey Neighbour Collective, https://www.heyneighbourcollective.ca/2023/02/how-does-housing-density-really-affect-life-in-cities/
Martinez Euklidiadas, M. "Climate-Resilient Architecture: This is How we Will Protect Cities." (August 24, 2022) Tomorrow City, https://tomorrow.city/a/what-is-climate-resilient-architecture
Souza, Eduardo. "The Most Sustainable Building Is One That Is Already Built: Multi-purpose and Healthy Spaces," (June 7, 2022) ArchDaily, https://www.archdaily.com/979371/the-most-sustainable-building-is-the-one-that-is-already-built-multi-purpose-and-healthy-spaces