Public spaces for future cities: Mapping urban resilience dimensions in place-based solutions

Mehmet Ronael*, Gülden Demet Oruç Ertekin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

As cities confront mounting challenges, rethinking public space as a critical infrastructure for urban resilience has become urgent. This study examines to what extent place-based solutions, developed in response to future-oriented visions and urban challenges, contribute to the resilience of public space across multiple dimensions. Grounded in a twelve-dimensional urban resilience framework, the research draws upon an analysis of academic studies and integrates expert evaluations to assess the strategic value of proposed interventions. The study follows a multi-step process, beginning with the identification of key challenges and conceptual visions, and proceeding to the evaluation of place-based solutions in terms of their alignment with resilience dimensions. It focuses on three thematic orientations in which public space is envisioned as a hub for well-being, a platform for inclusivity, and an instrument for climate adaptation. Findings reveal an imbalance across resilience dimensions. Diversity, Inclusion, Adaptability, and Flexibility are consistently emphasized, particularly in well-being and equity-related interventions, while Redundancy, Independence, and Resources are underrepresented, revealing gaps in operational resilience and long-term planning. Expert rankings also suggest that climate-oriented strategies are undervalued despite their relevance amid environmental disruption. These results highlight the dominance of socially grounded and human-centered approaches in current visions of future public space, while underscoring the need to strengthen systemic and infrastructural capacities. By combining thematic synthesis with expert validation, the study presents a framework for evaluating the resilience potential of place-based interventions and outlines avenues for future interdisciplinary research and policy innovation toward sustainable and resilient urban futures.

Original languageEnglish
Article number106870
JournalSustainable Cities and Society
Volume133
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

  • Expert evaluation
  • Future public space
  • Place-based Solutions
  • Resilience assessment
  • Urban resilience

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