Sustained liveable cities: the interface of liveability and resiliency

Abstract

Cities across the world are challenged by acute and chronic problems. Liveability policies and plans have generally disregarded the impacts of unexpected shocks and disturbances on cities and the quality of life of communities. This paper argues that the resiliency of a city is a necessary condition for its liveability. Applying qualitative methodologies, the paper builds on in-depth semi-structured interviews to explore the interface between the concepts of liveability and resiliency. Findings suggested that urban planning and policy needs to address the institutionalised inequities built into our cities through ‘local living’. Planning sustained liveable cities was also perceived to be ‘people centred’. ‘Integrated long-term planning’, ‘responsiveness and adaptability’, ‘future-proofing’ and ‘sustainable development’ were also underlined as key principles of developing cities that are both liveable and resilient. These principles are, however, challenging to implement. Future studies need to investigate the mechanisms through which these can be translated into practice.