Adaptive design is a term that I’ve used for some time now to describe an approach to planning and design that explicitly recognizes ecological systems. Design, planning, and management are all part of the same spectrum of activities in which we engage with our landscape and living ecology. The central notion of adaptive design is that if we understand that landscapes and their ecosystems are fundamentally dynamic, that they’re constantly changing, this means that there is an inherent amount of uncertainty in terms of how they behave. Within complex living systems we cannot predict with certainty and precision, no matter how much scientific evidence we have, exactly what will happen or when it will happen. For example, we know very well that certain areas are subject to seasonal flooding. We know that under a scenario of climate change, we can expect more flooding. So while we know that flooding is to some extent an inevitability, and that floods will happen, what we can’t say with certainty is exactly when those events will happen. The point is that ecosystem change is inevitable: it’s built into these living systems, but we can not predict with certainty how and when they’re going to change, or the extent of the change. One cynical response has been to say, “oh well, if we can’t predict what’s going to happen, then what’s the point of planning? We should just give up and adapt when disaster strikes.” This is the “passive adaptation” theory, and it’s a naive response which few of us would take seriously. Adaptive design, by contrast, is a more nuanced response that is based on understanding the history, context and trajectory of a living system, and the pressures that the system is facing.
Nina-Marie Lister, Interview with Jared Green (2011)
Mahan Rykiel Associates, Design with Dredge: Resilient Infrastructure for Chesapeake Bay (2017)
landscape theory 