Exploring the role of social capital in community flood resiliency in Binghamton, NY

Abstract

With the progression of climate change, flooding risk in the Northeastern United States has and will continue to increase. One key element of advancing resilience is to invest in furthering a community's social capital network by investing in opportunities to strengthen the ties between individuals, groups, and government leaders. We undertook a participatory action research approach to examining social capital related to flood resilience in the flood-prone Rust-Belt city of Binghamton, NY, USA. Qualitative data collected from story circles were held in locations throughout the Binghamton community to provide vital insights into social capital's role in building resiliency in Binghamton, NY. The story circles also allowed residents experiencing flooding to process and share the experience with others and build social ties. This research analyzed transcripts from six story circles conducted in the summer of 2016 in Binghamton to understand how the social capital affected residents' recovery after the most recent floods (2006 and 2011). This study revealed a high prevalence of the following codes: Bonding among Binghamton citizens and also government responses and non-governmental and religious organizations as other critical sources of social support when faced with flooding. In addition, participants frequently displayed a shared awareness and understanding and demonstrated peer learning throughout their reflections on the floods and related experiences.