Cities are complex and dynamic social-ecological systems; both human and ecological systems are in mutual interaction. As a social-ecological system, a city’s form and structure can change over time. The transcendence and durability of cities is in fact due to their continuous change. Major transformations are often viewed as technological or socio-technological transitions, such as...

Aims to help cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. Melbourne was selected from 372 applicants around the world to be among the first wave of 33 cities to join the 100 resilient cities network.

Recent research highlights an ongoing lack of systematic and rigorous adaptation planning in Australia. The need to improve problem framing was identified, along with a requirement to better integrate local adaptation into social, urban and regional planning, and into emergency management and sustainable development efforts.

No matter how serious the climatic impacts may become, one thing became clear: “Leaving is no option”. The framework that has been developed during the charrette illustrates that a small community can decide to be prepared for the future through diversifying its functionalities, facilities and services.

Recent comparative metrics that rank different cities based on selected criteria have yielded interesting and sometimes varied results, depending on what is being measured, how it is being measured and why it is being measured. This paper explores the efficacy of such ranking systems for Australia’s largest cities, focusing on the links between ranking outcomes...