Exploring urban resilience in practice: a century of vacant sites mapping in Dublin, Edinburgh and Philadelphia

Abstract

Urban resilience can be understood as the application of social-ecological systems thinking to the city in order to build adaptive capacity to change in urban systems. Vacant sites can become the focus of explorations into how to adapt and do things differently, for example in response to a housing crisis or recession. This paper explores the mapping of vacant sites as an example of urban resilience in practice using two approaches: the re-examination of historical precedents of vacant sites mapping in Edinburgh and Dublin influenced by Patrick Geddes (1854–1932), and related engagement with vacant sites in Philadelphia; and investigation of case studies of the contemporary practice in these same three cities in the context of Geddesian thinking and the contemporary discourse on urban resilience. Geddes is considered of particular relevance to urban resilience as his theories and practice also applied an understanding of social-ecological systems to the city.