The Resilient City

For as long as they have existed, cities have been destroyed – sacked, shaken, burnt, bombed, flooded, starved, irradiated, and pillaged – in almost every case they have risen again. Rarely in modern times has a city not been rebuilt following destruction, be it natural or man-made. The Resilient City explores urban disasters from around the globe and the ongoing restoration of urban life. It examines why cities are rebuilt, how a vision for the future gets incorporated into a new urban landscape, and how disasters have been interpreted and commemorated in built form.
An international cast of historians, architects, and urban studies experts looks at a diverse group of cities that have suffered traumas, including: the Oklahoma City bombing; Chicago’s great fire of 1871; San Francisco’s earthquake and fires of 1906; Washington’s invasion by the British during the War of 1812; Berlin and Warsaw in World War II; Gernika’s bombardment during the Spanish Civil War; Jerusalems rebuilding following centuries of destruction; Mexico City’s 1985 earthquake; China’s Tangshan earthquake; Tokyo’s earthquake, fires, and WWII bombardment; Beirut in the 1990s wars; South Central Los Angeles following the Rodney King beating. In so doing, they bring to light the experiences these resilient cities share, while underscoring that no two cities have recovered in the precisely the same way. This book will appeal to anyone interested in cities, among humankind’s most durable artifacts and enduring forms of communal life.

Author Biography

Lawrence J. Vale is Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of From the Puritans to the Projects: A History of Public Housing in America, among other titles.

Thomas J. Campanella is Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of Republic of Shade and Cities from the Sky.