Public Perceptions of Resilience and Vulnerability Concepts for Adaptation

Abstract

Resilience is everywhere in plans, policy, and academic literature on risk reduction and adaptation, and a common refrain of elected officials and disaster victims alike. Geographers have contributed much to the critical understanding of the theoretical foundations and implications of this now ubiquitous concept, and have made some initial steps in studying how local practitioners and other experts interpret and apply resilience in risk reduction and adaptation measures. But there is limited empirical research, however, on what the people living in communities exposed to hazards think about resilience. This study aims to address this gap by conducting in-person, researcher-administered surveys (n = 400) with members of the public using coastal and lakefront environmental amenities in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. Survey results include three main findings: (1) the majority of participants prefer the framing of “increasing resilience” over “reducing vulnerability”; (2) the conceptualization of resilience as creative transformation is greatly favored over conceptualizations of resilience as resistance or recovery; and (3) resilience is seen as uneven in both study cities. The study reveals insights that can help inform and align resilience theory and practice in cities.