The three Ps of place making for climate change

This state-of-the-art review compares recent literature coverage of principles, practice and procedures - the three Ps - of place making for climate change. Procedural thinking dominates, with extensive work on theoretical models of decision-making, policy processes, and development of human resources and skills. Coverage of practice is also extensive, although the medium of descriptive case studies poses issues of replicability and transferability. Work on the principles of place making attracts less attention and is more ambiguous, with environmental architecture and green infrastructure principles apparently at variance with conventional principles of urban design. The requirements of environmental and social sustainability seem to be pulling in opposite directions. The paper discusses promising lines of work, concluding that tried-and-tested urban design typologies may have a new lease of life in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.