Rapidly Changing Cities: Working with Socio-Ecological Systems to Facilitate Transformation

Cities across the world are changing rapidly. Driven by population growth, migration, economic decline in rural areas, political instabilities, and even more recently, Covid-19 pandemic, urban systems spaces to accommodate moving people new functions. In many cases, these trends contribute increased levels of inequality, poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, while warnings about impact climate change continue raise concerns. Though some have called this a revolution, others referred to, apocalyptic turn, end cities. response, writers encouraging smarter cities, whereas promoting post-urban context return small communities. High uncertainty characteristic, along with intensities complexity, rapid fluctuation unbounded experimentation. This raises questions nature implication different cities situated vastly contrasting contexts. thematic issue Urban Planning focuses on five narratives from illustrate various drivers their implications for design planning. The editorial introduces narratives, as well commentaries leading academics/practitioners highlights several divergent experiences common threats. It argues that deal often large-scale changes, planners need view human settlements socio-ecological plan facilitate co-evolution humans nature.