The Resilient City
This project proposes a modular, adaptive design framework for urban transformation in response to short-term fluctuations and long-term uncertainty. Set in East Manchester—a post-industrial area shaped by fragmented planning, underused infrastructure, and socio-economic vulnerability—the project investigates how cities can evolve through phased, resilient strategies rather than static, top-down masterplans.
Grounded in Resilience Theory, Adaptive Reuse Theory, and informed by precedents such as Barcelona’s Superblocks, the project introduces a “Keep, Adapt, Demolish” methodology to guide interventions. Using site-specific data—including proximity, density, building age, and amenity access—each urban plot is categorised and reimagined through a responsive design approach. A 100m modular grid acts as the structural framework, enabling typologies to evolve over time through addition, subtraction, or infill, depending on the plot’s adaptability and future needs.
The proposal integrates mass timber construction for flexibility and environmental performance, with courtyards, green roofs, and balcony systems supporting passive ventilation, daylight, and community engagement. Landscape strategies are not treated as secondary, but as integral to social and spatial resilience—facilitating microclimates, circulation, and neighbourhood identity.
Computational tools and scenario-based modelling play a central role in shaping spatial strategies, allowing for iterative testing and refinement. The result is a scalable, transferable model that accommodates future uncertainty while maintaining urban coherence and spatial richness.
Ultimately, The Resilient City positions adaptability not simply as a response to disruption, but as a proactive design ethos—one that merges architecture, landscape, and public realm into a dynamic framework for inclusive, sustainable, and human-centred urban growth.
