An Analysis of Resilient Cities and Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence

This report provides an analysis of the concept of resilient cities, focusing on the book "Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence" by Peter Newman, Timothy Beatley, and Heather M. Boyer. The report examines the authors' arguments regarding resilient cities in the face of climate change and growing inequity, and their focus on how modern cities can become resilient and regenerative. The analysis highlights the six key characteristics of resilient cities, including renewable energy, sustainable mobility, social inclusion, disaster recovery processes, Biophilic Urbanism, and regenerative metabolism. The report also discusses the authors' emphasis on regeneration as a crucial stage in city development, advocating for a reduction in ecological footprinting and resource reuse. The analysis connects these concepts with the challenges faced by modern cities, such as energy crises, transportation issues, health concerns, and the need for disaster preparedness, ultimately supporting the authors' arguments with research from other scholars and course materials.

Running head: RESILIENT CITIES AND GLOBAL URBANISM
RESILIENT CITIES AND GLOBAL URBANISM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK
“RESILIENT CITIES: OVERCOMING FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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As stated by Burton et al. (2020), the concept of ‘resilient cities’ had formed the central
lacuna or for that matter the fulcrum point of numerous scholarly debates as well as research
works since the 20th century. Infield, Abunnasr and Ryan (2018) are of the viewpoint that
resilient cities are the kind of cities which have the ability to absorb, recover and also prepare for
the future shocks of different kinds like environmental, institutional, social, economical and
other kinds of shocks. More importantly, the primary factor which distinguishes the resilient
cities from the other kinds of cities can be attributed to the effective focus of the resilient cities
on the attributes of sustainable development, inclusion and the wellbeing of its residents,
continued growth of the city by overcoming the different kinds of shocks and others (Hayashi et
al., 2016). Furthermore, over the years it had been seen that the cities while being the largest
consumers of electricity, natural resources, consumers of the transportation services and others
also have been the largest sources of pollution, man-made disasters, outbreak of diseases and
others which in turn had adversely affected not only these cities but also the entire world itself
(Vona, Harabaglia & Murgante, 2016).
As a matter of fact, the different cities of the world have been one of the largest
contributors towards the issue of climate change that the entire world is reeling from presently
(Poku-Boansi & Cobbinah, 2018). These aspects have not only contributed towards the
formulation of the concept of resilient cities but also precipitated the widespread usage of the
same as well by the different cities of the world. In this regard, the book “Resilient Cities:
Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence” (2009) by Peter Newman, Timothy Beatley and Heather
M. Boyer is an important one since the concerned book while exploring the concept of resilient
cities had outlined the important characteristic features of the same. More importantly, it is seen
that the authors rather than limiting their exploration to resilient cities and their resilience have

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also highlighted the manner in which the modern cities can regenerative as well which they
believe is the future of the world. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the
concept of resilient cities in the particular context of the arguments or the concepts articulated by
the book “Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence”
Newman, Beatley and Boyer (2017) have focused their attention in the book “Resilient
Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence” on answering the questions “What does it mean to
be a resilient city in the age of a changing climate and growing inequity? As urban populations
grow, how do we create efficient transportation systems, access to healthy green space, and
lower-carbon buildings for all citizens?”. In this relation, it needs to be said that these two
questions had been raised by numerous scholars as well as researchers over the years and
different research works conducted in the field of resilience and resilient cities have failed to
effectively answer these two questions. However, at the same time it needs to be said that unlike
the other works which had been undertaken on the concept of resilient cities it is seen that this
particular book focuses on the manner in which the modern cities can become resilient as well as
regenerative in nature by highlighting the important characteristic features of the same.
More importantly, the manner in which the cities have been perceived by the authors of
the book under discussion here is also substantially different from the manner in which they had
been perceived over the years. For instance, unlike the earlier scholars who perceived the cities
as immovable and implacable spaces Newman, Beatley and Boyer (2017) perceive them as
spaces which can be tipped provided the right kind of shock or for that matter push is being
given to them. This becomes apparent from the very starting line of the book taken from
Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” which says “Look at the world around you. It may
seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push-in just the right

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place-it can be tipped” (Newman, Beatley & Boyer, 2017). Furthermore, the book outlines the
social, economic, institutional, environmental and other kinds of shocks or pushes which can
facilitate the tipping of the cities which in turn can adversely affect the stability of the cities and
also of the entire world.
The authors in the book outline six important characteristic features of the resilient cities
and concludes with a discussion of the concept of regeneration and also the manner in which the
cities are simultaneously use these two concepts for the purpose of facilitating their continuous
growth as well as development. For instance, in the first chapter of the study the Newman,
Beatley and Boyer (2017) highlights the fact that the effective usage of “renewable and
distributed energy” is an important characteristic feature of the resilient cities and helps them to
reduce the pressure that they put on the environment through the usage of the energy which is
renewable in nature. Taking about this particular feature of the resilient cities, the Newman,
Beatley and Boyer (2017) have stated that “In a resilient city that is committed to reducing its
fossil fuel dependence……..city's development and redevelopment will make it more
sustainable: it will reduce its environmental footprint……….natural resources on which cities
rely”. The second important characteristic feature of the resilient cities that the authors have
outlined is the creation as well as the usage of “sustainable mobility” or for that matter the usage
of sustainable transportation system. The authors highlight the fact that the majority of
petroleum, diesel and others are being used by the automobiles which in turn generate a
substantial amount of pollution and this had directly contributed towards the danger of climate
change that the world is presently facing. Thus, the Newman, Beatley and Boyer (2017) have
stated that the goal of the resilient cities should be able “to meet the goal of 80 percent less oil by
2050 and 100 percent less by 2100”.

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The third characteristic feature of the resilient cities that the authors have highlighted in
the book is the fact that the resilient cities foster inclusion and also focus on the health as well as
the wellbeing of its residents. Commenting on this aspect of the resilient cities, the Newman,
Beatley and Boyer (2017) have stated that “A resilient city provides access to healthy food, clean
water and air, safe transportation infrastructure, healthy buildings, and health services for all
citizens”. In addition to these, the authors have also outlined the usage of adequate “disaster
recovery process” and also “Biophilic Urbanism” and the usage of a “cyclic and regenerative
metabolism” as the other important characteristic features of the resilient cities (Newman,
Beatley & Boyer, 2017). In this relation, it needs to be said that the author in this particular book
have focused more on the aspect of the regenerative ability of the cities rather than on the
concept of sustainability. As a matter of fact, the authors have indicated the sustainability is the
first stage resilience is the second stage whereas regeneration is the final stage in the
development cycle of cities. More importantly, the Newman, Beatley and Boyer (2017) have also
articulated the fact that the regenerative cities focus on the reduction of their ecological
footprinting and also try to reuse as well as the regenerate the resources which had been used by
them so as to reduce the damage that they cause to the environment and the planet. These in
short are some of the most important arguments as well as the concepts raised by the authors in
the book under discussion here.
DesRoches and Taylor (2018) are of the viewpoint that the concept of resilient cities had
become important from the perspective of the contemporary times because of the large number
of man-made and the natural disasters that the modern cities and also their inability to cope with
the same. Adding to this, Herslund et al. (2018) have noted that this can be explained on the
basis of the fact that the cities over the years had become the major consumers of the different

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resources, fossil fuels and others and thereby generate a substantial amount of pollution which in
turn had aggravated the dangers faced by the planet even further. Furthermore, it had also been
seen that despite the developments attained by the different cities they are still grappling with
transportation issues, energy crisis, inclusion and health issues, disaster recovery, urbanism and
others kinds of issues which are hinder their growth and also reduced the quality of life led by
the people residing in them (Fitzgibbons & Mitchell, 2019). These in turn had made it imperative
for the different cities of the world to use sustainable practices and also try to facilitate
sustainable development so as to overcome the threats posed by the above mentioned issues.
However, Newman, Beatley and Boyer (2017) have showed in their book that it is no longer
enough for the cities to merely take the help of sustainable practices and hope that they can
overcome the different issues faced by them through the usage of the same. As a matter of fact,
Newman, Beatley and Boyer (2017) have stated that the modern cities need to take the help of
the concepts of resilience and regeneration for the purpose of overcoming the different issues
that they face and also for the reducing their ecological footprinting so as to effective reduce the
damage that they cause to the environment and the planet.
More importantly, it is seen that the different characteristic features of the resilient cities
that the authors have highlighted in their book are associated with the various issues which are
being experienced by the modern cities. For instance, investments in “Renewable and Distributed
Energy” is related to the energy crisis and the pollution caused by the production of energy
through the usage of fossil fuels whereas the usage of sustainable mobility is recommended for
overcoming the transportation issues experienced by the cities. Furthermore, for overcoming the
societal and the health issues the usage of the frameworks of inclusion and healthy cities had
been recommended disaster recovery, establishment of Biophilic Urbanism and regenerative

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metabolism had been recommended for overcoming the adverse effects or to prevent different
man-made and the natural disasters (Newman, Beatley & Boyer, 2017). Supporting this,
Hernantes et al. (2019) have noted that the focus on the different resilient cities is to resolve the
different issues experienced by their citizens and also take the help of various measures for
preventing the different man-made or the natural disasters that they are likely to face in the near
future. Adding to this, Mendizabal et al. (2018) have observed that disaster readiness or
preparedness is an integral feature of the resilient cities and they also try to reduce the reducing
the chances of the different natural disasters through the reduction of their ecological
footprinting and also by taking the help of the measures which will create value for the
environment. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the major arguments presented by
the authors Newman, Beatley and Boyer in their book “Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel
Dependence” find adequate amount of support from the research work of the past scholars on the
same concept.
The concepts and the arguments presented by the book “Resilient Cities: Overcoming
Fossil Fuel Dependence” in relation to resilient cities are in alignment with the things that had
been taught in this course or for that matter with the lecture contents had been provided to us.
For instance, the characteristic features of the resilient cities outlined by the book under
discussion here are akin to themes of sustainable transportation, renewable energy and
distribution energy, urbanism, revitalization and others that had been taught to us in this course.
In this relation, I would like to say that the book limits the discussion of resilience and
regeneration merely to the aspects of energy, transportation, disaster recovery, reduction of the
ecological footprinting of the cities so as to create value for the environment and others however
the lecture contents delve deeper into the city spaces, construction of the buildings, public

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spaces, urban lifestyle and others for offer an in-depth knowledge regarding the above mentioned
concepts. For instance, in order to explain the concepts of resilience, regeneration and
revitalization in an effective manner the lecture notes takes the help of the examples of the cities
of Paris and New York along with the changes that they have undergone so as to become
resilient cities in the recent times.
More importantly, the process which had been followed by these two cities for the
purpose of attaining resilience is exemplified by the idea represented by the Newman, Beatley
and Boyer (2017) in the lines “Resilience….is about lasting, about making it through crises,
about inner strength and strong physical constitution. Resilience is destroyed by fear, which
causes us to panic, reduces our inner resolve” wherein they are taking about the resilience of the
human body. For instance, through the systems of highways and infrastructural transformations,
suburbanization and the total reengineering of the city the surplus capital of both of these cities
were being used for the infrastructural development of the cities which in turn helped it to
effectively utilize the different characteristic features or for that matter the attributes of the
resilient cities. This in turn also facilitated the effective usage of sustainability mobility,
renewable and distributed energy, adequate disaster recovery measures and others within these
cities. Lastly, these two cities had also been able to attain resilience through the effective
reduction of their ecological footprinting and also through the use of the measures that had
helped them to create value for the environment. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that
the arguments related to resilient cities presented by Newman, Beatley and Boyer in the book
“Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence” are not merely theoretical constructs but
grounded in reality as well.

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To conclude, the concept of resilient cities had become important in the present times
because of the adverse effects of the different natural disasters on the cities and their inability to
cope with the negative connotations of the same. More importantly, it had been seen that the
resilient cities by taking the help of the concepts of sustainable mobility, renewable and
distributed energy, effective disaster recovery plans, regenerative metabolism and others have
been able to overcome the adverse effects of both the man-made and the natural disasters.
Furthermore, the above discussion indicates the fact that the resilient cities take the help of the
measures which not only enables them to effective reduce their ecological footprinting but also
the damage that they cause to the environment as well as the planet. These aspects of resilient
cities become apparent from the above discussion of the same in the particular context of the
book “Resilient Cities: Overcoming Fossil Fuel Dependence”.

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References
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Driven Planning, and Open Data Policy. In Open Cities| Open Data (pp. 383-400).
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Fitzgibbons, J., & Mitchell, C. (2019). Just urban futures? Exploring equity in “100 Resilient
Cities”. World Development, 122, 648-659.
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