Planning for resilience might mean more than preparing for climate change, according to this opinion piece. Urban terrorism, in its current, tragic form, will require planners to prepare for the worst.
Jon Coaffee, a professor of urban geography in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, takes to the pages of The Washington Post to make an appeal for planners to prepare for "a new onslaught of urban terrorism."
"State security services have long been occupied with defending vulnerable urban spaces against attack," writes Coafee, "but until recently, the style of terrorist attack — the targeting of high-profile commercial or government buildings — seldom affected everyday city life." But a recent string of terrorist attacks in Europe has relied on relatively low-tech devices like trucks and knives.
According to Coafee, "the modus operandi of terrorists has changed significantly in recent years and counter-responses, including urban planning, must adapt to this new reality."
The idea of preparing for the perpetual threat of terrorism is a challenging proposition at best. It's impossible, according to Coafee,"to perfectly balance urban aesthetics and livability within secure design, just as it’s impossible to prevent every kind of attack in any open society." Still, he writes, measures can be taken.
Planetizen correspondent Irvin Dawid has noted some of the public safety infrastructure that works to deter terrorism, such as sidewalk bollards. In the past, anti-terrorism planning has also focused on transit and drinking water supplies.
FULL STORY: Urban terrorism isn’t going to stop. Can city planners help reduce its lethal impact?
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.