ABSTRACT
Seeing cities as socioecological systems requires a reconsideration of sustainability, resilience and regeneration, as well as the connection among them. Sustainability originated as a movement to address human living conditions while keeping within the limits of nature. Resilience is about keeping urban systems functioning in the face of disaster or major perturbations. However, regeneration is about improving urban environments and therefore focuses on the co-evolution of humans and nature through the establishment of healing and thriving environments. This chapter outlines the values of an ecological worldview, followed by a brief introduction of Resilience Thinking and the theory of Regenerative Development and Design to allow a discussion on resilient and regeneragative public space in South Africa. The discussion indicates that a number of public spaces incorporate elements that would increase their resilience and contribute to regenerative spaces.
