Planning for Resilience to Multiple Stressors –operationalising the theory of social-ecological resilience through green infrastructure planning

Stresses present in different forms and call for subtly different responses. Conventional modes of planning seek to render such stressors manageable by administering them discretely. This has generally resulted in a segregated approach to spatial planning wherein functional delineations have become institutionally ‘sedimented’ within planning authorities (flood risk management, open space demand, biodiversity protection etc). This ‘silo mentality’ foregrounds efficiency at the expensive of flexibility and restricts the scope for interdisciplinary collaboration. Consequently, it impedes a holistic social-ecological perspective on resilience by limiting adaptive potential. This paper aims to explore innovative ways in which planning practice can facilitate greater social-ecological resilience when planning in stressful places. With this in mind, the paper poses four interrelated questions: (1) What does social-ecological resilience mean? (2) Why plan for social-ecological resilience? (3) What does planning for social-ecological resilience entail? (4) What does planning for social-ecological resilience look like in practice? The paper responds to these questions through an analysis of how an Irish local authority has sought to overcome the limitations of traditional planning approaches by innovatively employing the ‘green infrastructure’ (GI) concept in developing policy and design ideas for the urban periphery of Dublin City. Drawing on documentary and interview material, the paper appraises the transformative potential of the GI planning approach by investigating its capacity to facilitate horizontal integration between different planning authority departments, deliver connected multifunctional spaces and cater for ecological conservation while concurrently facilitating sensitive urban development.

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