ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how urban form changes along the same patterns as shown by other classes of complex adaptive systems in ecology, society and economy, and does so at every scale. Further, it demonstrates how it is possible to speak of resilience of urban form precisely because of this behaviour. It will do so by focusing on the fabric of cities, meaning the set of its physical components that are visible at the neighbourhood and district scale, the core scale of the urban design discipline. It will also explain in detail why it is relevant to understand resilience in urban form, and how it helps to recompose the design-change paradox for urban designers. The chapter will bring important insights from urban morphology, a discipline that studies the fabric of cities like no others, and yet, despite all the evidence of its many benefits, has often been under-utilised by urban designers.
