Contingency Planning and Adaptive Urbanism

 International Hybrid Conference, 2022

Cairo University In Cooperation with

Kyoto University, and Gdansk University of Technology

Hosted By

Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning

Contemporary urbanism trends have been shaped by an extremely turbulent environment, characterized by prodigious complexity, rapid change, and enormous levels of uncertainty. Current management and planning for our built environment in all its various administrative, socioeconomic, urban, and environmental aspects, have often failed to meet intended ends with conventional means. To cope with complexity, change, and uncertainty, new methodologies, mechanisms and interventions have been introduced and applied allowing for more flexibility, resilience, and effective adaption. The contingent plan, or “Plan B” as it is commonly referred to, is one of these illustrious intrusions that may cope with unforeseen change or unanticipated circumstances.  In such rapidly, unexpected and ever-changing settings, it may be argued that contingency planning would become an inevitable choice, rather than an alternative mode of intervention that shapes the roles of all actors in the urban arena.

Furthermore, in such contexts such as those of developing countries, contingency planning may be more needed as a mode of intervention than orthodox strategic management and planning. Contingency planning may allow to deal with abrupt situations in urban policies or strategies through more adaptive and resilient mitigation action.             

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