ABSTRACT
Urban open space systems are multipurpose infrastructure, vital to urban sustainability and resiliency, as well as human health, safety, and wellbeing. Yet, design matters. Factors influencing the design of the built environment include policies and paradigms that shape urban form across spatial scales, from individual sites to regions. Leveraging infrastructure policies and land use planning practices could accelerate the adaptation of cities to changing environmental and social conditions. Community resiliency initiatives must assess vulnerability to natural hazards and remove or adaptively retrofit infrastructure in harm’s way. These initiatives must also protect and restore critical ecosystem services. Reforms in professional education are proposed to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and empower the planning, design, and engineering professions to become more effective agents for paradigm change.
