Whither Resilient Regions? Equity, Growth and Community

Abstract

ABSTRACT:A growing body of research has been suggesting that social equity may contribute to economic growth and resilience at a metropolitan scale, but there is limited research on the underlying mechanisms that make for this potentially happy coincidence of economic vitality, resilience and inclusion. This article helps address this gap through an in-depth exploration of three case studies of regions that have been able to either sustain growth and equity over time, and/or that responded to external shocks in a way that suggests resilience: Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio. We argue that there are different pathways in each case but that all of them can be characterized as having relatively strong and diverse regional knowledge arenas where data are shared and common understandings have developed across diverse constituencies. While the sample is limited, the role of a diverse and dynamic epistemic community does seem to be exactly the sort of mechanism that might keep fates common and regions resilient.