Volume 42 Re:   (Anything)    from Revitalization to Resilience (2017)

Editors:  Rachel Wexler and Carly Hoffmann

The prefix “re-” holds two contradictory connotations. It can mean “again,” or multiple repetitions, or it can mean a withdrawal or reversal. While one meaning implies forward motion, the other suggests retreat. And what a provoking approach to take to the multitudes contained within planning topics like revitalization, resiliency, and reinvestment, all of which are viewed by some as progress, others as regression, and still others as both. Through these divergent meanings we explore the incongruities in planning-related endeavors: the displacement that can occur through revitalization, the resistance to resilience, the disinvestment that precedes reinvestment, and more.

While our general feature articles probe the breadth of this theme, a partnership with Professor Gavin Smith and the Coastal Resilience Center at UNC has informed our special section, which looks deeply into one particularly pressing and controversial issue: resilience. This section takes us from the North Carolina mountains to the state’s coastline and farther south to Louisiana. We cover disaster recovery, assessment tools, evaluation of policies, design interventions, and preparedness.

From rezoning, to revitalization, to reinvestment, to disaster recovery, this issue traverses myriad topics, all of which are particularly relevant in today’s political climate. In this age of uncertainty, the following pages allow you, Dear Reader, to reflect on our received wisdom and conventional practices in order to charge forward promoting the greatest common good.

A digital version of this edition is available here.