ABSTRACT
Our world will soon change too fast to sustain current dependencies on food, water and energy. Chapter 25 explores maximizing resilience. In many cases, the necessary changes are more attitudinal than technological. Whereas the twentieth-century promoted technology-dependent giantism, local experience-related understanding and feedback increases resilience. Indeed, globalism and quantitative approaches easily obscure the more critical methods. For instance, food-security concerns focus on quantity (although it’s currently almost double needs), ignoring distribution inequality and waste. Localism doesn’t mean insularity; nor require self-sufficiency, but self-reliance: a crucial distinction. As climate-responsive design is directly experiential, this favours a shift to more ecologically responsible systems. Mitigating heat waves and refreshing air both helps heal climate and the human soul. Moreover, being cheaper than technological fixes, such local-climate responsiveness, could also foster a meaningful local aesthetic. Although driven by economic pragmatism, this could make cities better to live in: soul-nourishing and healthy for inhabitants.
