Will Engineered Resilience Eclipse Sustainability?

Rives Taylor pens an editorial for Urban Land advocating for "engineered resilience", which he describes as "next-generation sustainability" that "adds adaptability and the protection of human life" to planning for the well-being of the planet.

2 minute read

August 6, 2012, 10:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Taylor, a principal at Gensler, dives into the growing discussion over the concept of resilience amongst those in the planning and development community. He sees engineered resilience as the logical progression of sustainability to embrace, "climate uncertainty, predicted rises in sea level, and terrorism (all of
which have exposed deep vulnerabilities in our built environment and
infrastructure), as well as something exquisitely calculable: risk
management."

In his practice orchestrating sustainability and resilience planning for clients around the world, Taylor finds that "sustainability is morphing into resilience," with "companies
often redirecting their 'greening' costs to a broader program of
resilience." He regards the greatest challenge to those assisting clients with designing, developing, and operating redundant buildings, "is to keep resilience human, stopping well short of creating buildings and campuses that look and live like bomb shelters."

"That is exactly how engineered resilience should be approached-not by an
obvious 'hardening' and dehumanizing of a building, but by designing it
to be flexible and adaptable when put under stress," writes Taylor. "That is largely
done by designing multiple redundancies (also known as diversity) into
its critical systems for power and water, into a smart envelope, into
the site design, and into the building's connection to the community. If
one system or approach fails, another is designed to kick in, and
potentially another after that, as part of a well-choreographed response
to trouble-like a boxer bobbing and weaving to avoid a punch and remain
standing." 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 in Urban Land

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight