RESILIENT IMAGINARIES: SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL URBAN DESIGN IN METRO MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES

Despite broad interest in the subject of urban resilience, the discourse remains largely siloed by discipline. With Metro Manila as a backdrop, this essay addresses gaps in resilience literature and practice by introducing a social-ecological urban design concept of resilience, defined here as: The ability for overlapping place-based and sector-specific networks, systems, and communities that operate across temporal and spatial scales to anticipate and absorb disturbances such that they can transition into more socially, ecologically, and spatially equitable states. This concept bridges natural, human, and spatial systems and is empirically grounded in historical research, field observations, and interviews. In response to programs which emphasize out-of-city relocation to reduce vulnerability, authors propose three principles of urban resilience that instead emphasize social equity and ecological harmony through the spatial integration of formal and informal communities. These principles include: design with nature, not against it; support a shared economy; and break down development silos. KEY WORDS Resilience; Socio-Ecological; Urban Design; Informality; Metro Manila