Beyond public meetings: Diverse forms of community led recovery following disaster

Abstract

Disasters provoke a multitude of responses at different scales of society, both in the immediate aftermath and in long term recovery. The importance of public participation, consultation and citizen engagement is increasingly acknowledged and integrated into an array of sectors, including planning and governance processes following major disaster events. However, there is growing concern that some practices of participation may narrow the space for genuine democratic engagement. This builds on a wider understanding of the potential for participation to be engaged in shallow and tokenistic forms. This paper explores, through a qualitative methodology, how residents perceived participatory processes following the Canterbury earthquakes which affected the city of Christchurch in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2010 and 2011. Importantly, this paper focuses on the diverse forms of participation in the recovery as discussed by residents. This contributes to a wider perspective on post-disaster recovery that recognises the diverse and informal pathways that shape the ongoing recovery of Christchurch. Subsequently, this critical yet hopeful account demonstrates how action at the local scale is integral to fostering a sense of community engagement and ownership over disaster recovery.