Systems principles for designing sustainable and resilient cities

systems principles for designing sustainable and resilient cities

Anupam Saraph, PhD, Innovation, Strategy and Leadership Mentor

(cc) 2011, Anupam Saraph 2

one in every seven cities in the world is in India

half of these were created post-independence and are less than 64 years old

not one of them makes it to any list of cities worth living in

indian cities


$20 billion spent through national urban renewal mission from 2005

not one of the cities with these funds can still make it to any list of cities worth living in

indian cities


systems comprise of stakeholders engaged in a relationship for a common purpose

systems methods focus on the purpose for which stakeholders engage with each other

systems methods are inclusive

systems thinking


social systems are inherently insensitive to most policy changes that people choose in an effort to alter the behavior of systems

social systems draw attention to the very points at which an attempt to intervene will fail

characteristic ONE



social systems seem to have a few sensitive influence points through which behavior can be changed

when a high-influence policy is identified, the chances are great that a person guided by intuition and judgment will alter the system in the wrong direction

characteristic TWO



social systems exhibit a conflict between short-term and long-term consequences of a policy change

a policy that produces improvement in the short run is usually one that degrades a system in the long run

characteristic THREE



systems that can continue their processes indefinitely

a system that grows continuously cannot be sustained forever

sustainable systems



resilient systems resist damage and recover quickly from disturbances

a system without large buffers cannot be resilient

resilient systems



evolve a common purpose for engagement of stakeholders

systems principles 1



engage all stakeholders fairly




build feedback to reinforce stakeholder roles that accomplish the common purpose




build mechanisms to contain growth




restore natural buffers to reduce impact of disturbances




systems, sustainable and resilient systems, few principles for cities

emergent behaviors, self organizing, information systems, governance upgrades, designing policy and legislation…

http://anupam.saraph.in

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Systems principles for designing sustainable and resilient cities