Resilient Urbanism

Gihan Karunaratne is an architect and academic. He has a notable record of teaching and lecturing in Architecture, Urban Design, and Interior Design across various international settings. His academic contributions are characterized by substantial research and scholarly publications addressing critical architecture and urban design topics. Karunaratne’s current research, which is deeply interdisciplinary, centers on the shifting dynamics of architecture and urban environments, particularly in cities undergoing continuous physical, economic, and social transformations. His work critically engages with the complexities of urban change, with a specific focus on marginalized and non‑conformist communities. A distinctive feature of his research is the exploration of the “underbelly” of cities, offering a detailed analysis of informal settlements and their social, economic, and spatial conditions. His engagement with urban transitions, particularly within the Global South, underscores his scholarly focus on the challenges and potential of informal urban environments. Karunaratne’s work contributes to the ongoing academic discourse on urban transformation, spatial justice, and the lived experiences of underserved communities, demonstrating the breadth and depth of his research.

• List of figuresList of tablesList of contributorsIntroductionGihan KarunaratneSection 1: Urban Resilience Chapter 1: Nocturnal Urbanism: The Case of Kimbulawala Food StreetGihan Karunaratne, Wasana G.K. Withana, Jagath Munasinghe and Tanzil ShafiqueChapter 2: Modern Vernacular: Informal Housing Architecture and Urban ResilienceJohan MottelsonChapter 3: From Disparity to Sustainability: The Journey of Energy Efficiency in Buenos Aires' Low-Income NeighborhoodsCynthia Goytia and Gaston Gertner Chapter 4: Urban Resilience and General Crisis: Theory, Practice and Politics.Kanishka GoonewardenaSection 2: Re-imagining practices of resilience Chapter 5: Speculative drawing as a tool for urban resilienceAngeliki SakellariouChapter 6: Measuring resilience: Leveraging Computational Methods and GIS Data for AI Decision-Making ToolsLuigi Pintacuda and Silvio CartaChapter 7: The Importance of Regional Food Security in Achieving Supply Chain Resilience: A Case StudyAli Cheshmehzang and Tong ZouSection 3: Housing and Urbanism Chapter 8: A new role for Remizas: fostering resilience for a just transitionJulia Wlodarczyk and Maximilian SternbergChapter 9: Water supply systems in urban slum communities in Lagos, Nigeria: between self-supply and co-production.Fabienne HoelzelChapter 10: City mattersMatthew Rosen and Marie StargalaSection 4: Community and Social ResilienceChapter 11: Resilience at the Seams: A Case Study on Makeshift Cattle Markets in Dhaka, BangladeshNusrat Jahan MimChapter 12: Governance, power, and agency in a period of uncertaintyPeter BishopChapter 13: Performative AND Representational Infrastructure: Its Role in Community Engagement and Empowerment for ResilienceAlan J. Plattus and Andrei HarwellSection 5: Climate Urbanism Chapter 14: More than a Roof and Four Walls: Exploring Principles, process, and possibilities for climate justice and resilience through housing and land rights in Cartagena and beyond Johanna Lovecchio, Maristella Madero, Juliet Tochterman and Kaitlynn Zack Chapter 15: Place-based scenario planning: a design research methodology for climate adaptation.Kira Clingen