Toward a Framework for Resilience Assessments: Working Across Cultures, Disciplines, and Scales in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Guy Coulson,Andrew Waa,Chris Batstone,Karen Witten,Jonathan Moores,Elizabeth Somervell,Robin Kearns,Philippa Howden-Chapman,Gustavo Olivares

doi:10.3389/frsc.2020.00011

Abstract

Resilience appears within diverse literatures across the physical and social sciences, pervades social and ecological systems models and has been mobilised in the quest to change environmental practices at local and international levels. Yet common language is needed to enable cross-disciplinary conversations. We discuss a novel interdisciplinary process identifying shared terminology and developing a framework to facilitate the integration of physical and social science understandings of urban infrastructure and resilience in urban systems. Drawing on bicultural knowledge traditions unique to Aotearoa/New Zealand, we reflect on resilience as a system property having ecological, social, economic and technical dimensions that influence wellbeing and sustainability outcomes. .

Highlights

The concept of resilience resonates across many disciplines, albeit with varied meanings
To facilitate conversations across disciplines and cultural perspectives we developed frameworks depicting the interdependencies of elements of an urban system, inclusive of those elements contributing to resiliency
The challenge, as reflected in our deliberative process and the resulting innovative framework, is to begin to understand how to foster the development of effective resilience and help make adjustments in societies in order to ensure the effectiveness of resilience policies and strategies

Summary

Introduction

The concept of resilience resonates across many disciplines, albeit with varied meanings. It is prominent within the physical, social, and health sciences literatures, pervades models linking social and ecological systems and has been mobilized to instigate changing environmental practices at individual and local through to national and international levels. A further realization was that there are links between ecological and social resilience (Gunderson, 2000; Holling, 2001). This connection led to the development of multi-disciplinary ideas of socio-ecological resilience (Folke, 2006; Walker and Salt, 2012). The question becomes resilience of what to what and for whom (Carpenter et al, 2001)?

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion