Grown, Sewn, Blown, Hewn, Dwellings for New Extremes

The International Space Station (ISS), traveling at 28,000 kilometers per hour, is an unlikely example of a dwelling on the move. Drawing on a research framework that views outerspace and Earth as a single cosmic continuum, City As A Spaceship (CAAS) introduces the concept of habitats in environmental extremes, such as space, as a metaphor for today’s urban dwelling issues. Cities must be sustainable and resilient, navigating shared conditions like density, confined spaces, complex infrastructure, resource recycling, energy efficiency, digital connectivity, and the implications of geopolitical instability. This submission focuses on “cities on the edge” – those situated at the intersection of land, water, and atmosphere. Roughly 5 billion people live within 400 km of a coastline and below 800 meters above sea level, in regions particularly vulnerable as climate change accelerates rising sea levels and impacts access to essential resources. Building on Folke and colleagues’ resilience framework (2016), we emphasize the importance of design that not only ensures habitability but also supports adaptiveness. CAAS’ approach focuses on three design principles: scale, impermanence/decoupling, and transportability and draws insights through case studies; including the ISS and terrestrial analogue habitat projects. By balancing technology, environment, and the social, these are examples of multimodal resilience via strategies we term “grown, sewn, blown, and hewn”.