Includes bibliographical references and index.

Glossary of terms and definitions -- Context and rationale -- Spirit and methodology -- Social sustainability in routine daily life -- Social sustainability and urban development -- Community resilience and environmental adversities -- Creating built environments that influence pro-community behaviours -- Built environments that influence socially sustainable behaviours -- Socially sustainable communities can also be resilient communities -- Findings and conclusion -- Recommendations: planning and designing for the socially sustainable resilient community.

Urban communities around the world face increased stress from natural disasters linked to climate change, and other urban pressures. They need to grow rapidly stronger in order to cope, adapt, and flourish. Strong social networks and social cohesion can be more important for a community's resilience than the actual physical structures of a city. But how can urban planning and design support these critical collective social strengths? This book offers blue sky thinking from the applied social and behavioural sciences, and urban planning. It looks at case studies from 14 countries around the world - including India, USA, South Africa, Indonesia, UK, and New Zealand - focusing on initiatives for housing, public space, and transport stops, and also natural disasters such as flooding and earthquakes.