Resilient design and anti-fragile environment: developing a complementary relationship in the public realm

Abstract

Much has been written on resilience in planning and the built environment and some attempts have been made to define antifragility in our disciplines and theoretically link these two concepts. This paper builds on theories of (dynamic non-equilibrium) resilience to analyse three case studies of adaptation to coastal flooding. It presents a short review of theories, illustrates the cases and their relevance and draws conclusions aimed at providing practical recommendations for the production of antifragile public spaces in our towns and cities.    Within this contribution, we understand resilience as the general adaptive capacity of a complex system (with agency, evolutionary and with learning capacity) and antifragility as an inherent characteristic to benefit from instability (stable, non-dynamic, available in 'fixed quantities' from the beginning) belonging to material objects. Both relate to the ability of a community to shape and re-shape its spaces and places to face new challenges.    Developing the approach that  dynamic non-equilibrium resilience of planning and decision-making systems and antifragility of the built environment could be studied as complementary sides of the same coin (Sartorio et al, 2021), the paper will present initial findings from three case studies in Wales where built environment adaptations took place to enhance community resilience to unexpected natural crises. The cases have been chosen as exemplary of the issues many coastal communities face in the UK but also as they show what is possible, even within tight resource constraints, within a responsive governance environment. It is argued that successful adaptation is the result of both effective adaptive capacity and antifragile environments, well interconnected and bridged through innovative governance arrangements.    The focus of the contribution rests on developing methodological and theoretical links between the concepts of resilience and of antifragility in developing space and place through local governance arrangements.