Designing public open space to support seismic resilience: A systematic review

In the wake of major earthquakes public open spaces become hubs for both short-term disaster response efforts and support longer-term recovery needs. At present, few open spaces are actually designed to support these intermittent but critical uses. Currently, there is no consolidated body of knowledge or resource for landscape architects designing for areas of high seismic risk. This research identifies ways in which landscape architects and professionals within allied design disciplines can proactively plan and design open space to support seismic resilience. A systematic review of both grey literature and peer-reviewed academic papers was conducted. The results of the systematic review identified six key themes: Multifunctionality; networks; site location and suitability; size and function; site elements; and, social resilience. These themes contribute to developing a foundation for design disciplines to better incorporate seismic resilience into planning and design of public open spaces.