Fig. 1: Conceptualising the interplay of two major temporal dynamics in urban planning that must be aligned and harmonised for achieving long-term resilience goals.

(1) X-axis: TIME - representing urban planning timeframes of up to 20 years in which decisions must be made for multiple urban systems. (2) Y-Axis: Endogenous lifecycles of five major urban systems, i.e. their lifecycles of renewal and decay (various colours); and Exogenous drivers and Disruptions that impact urban systems (red). Urban systems include short-lived systems that can be renewed every 3-10 years (unplanned spaces) to long-lived systems that last beyond 100 years (natural resources). Within a single planning timeframe, different urban systems are at different stages of their lifecycles, which must be harmonised or realigned to manage climate stresses and shocks. However, mid-course corrections or modifications in urban systems are often not accounted for in planning timeframes. Planning Timeframe A (black) includes the beginning or ends of lifecycles of several urban systems (both short and long-lived). The lifecycles present windows to integrate new insights, thus becoming a critical juncture in managing urban change. Planning Timeframe B (grey) includes the beginning or ends of only a few short-lived urban systems, which offer fewer windows to integrate long-term change. Disrupted Timeframe (red) are a result of exogenous drivers and climate-change-related disruptions. This timeframe must be leveraged to bring long-term systemic transformation?. However, empirical evidence has shown that disasters do not lead to policy change.