Building Community Resilience Research Articles

How Can Girls’ Education and Family Planning Improve Community Resilience to Climate Change in the Sahel?

Population growth and climate change are currently the two greatest threats to food security in the Sahel region of Africa. The population of the countries that make up the Sahel is projected to nearly double by 2050, from 506 million to 912 million. Paired with the expected rise in temperature and increased frequency of extreme climatic events, these numbers could quickly overwhelm relief efforts. Strengthening human capital and economic stability are critical to prevent catastrophic suffering. This article recommends two evidence-based approaches that expand women’s autonomy and support their income-earning potential while building resilience to climate change. The first recommendation, would be greater investments in adolescent girls’ education and autonomy, including efforts to delay marriage and childbearing. The second calls for an improvement in the availability and quality of reproductive health services, with a special focus on voluntary family planning. These interventions can increase incomes, reproductive autonomy and gender equity which build community resilience and adaptability to climate change.

Resilience-Based Adaptation in Data Scarce Areas: Flood Risk Assessment Using Geodesign in the Tohono O’odham Nation

Geospatial data, analytics, and visualizations are critical decision-making resources for building community resilience. However, many communities are unable to collect and use this data. This study evaluates how a Geodesign planning approach using qualitative, statistical, and spatial analysis empowered a data-scarce American Indian community to create a flood-resilient community-based land-use plan. Geodesign is a stakeholder-engaged planning approach integrating geospatial analysis, information technology, visualization, and design strategies for complex problem-solving. Results show that Geodesign enables data-scarce communities to combine local knowledge and scientific modeling, merge the strengths of each knowledge source, and support resilience and community-based land-use planning.

The Role of Digital Technologies in Building Resilient Communities

This study examines the role of digital technologies in building resilient communities, focusing on data collected during the pandemic. This research aims to explore the impact of digital technologies on community development, assess their effectiveness in enhancing community resilience, and identify key success factors. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative data collected through interviews and focus groups, a review of existing literature and case studies. Preliminary findings indicate that digital technologies have been crucial in supporting community resilience, enabling virtual communication, remote access to resources, and community engagement. However, disparities in digital access and literacy have influenced their effectiveness. Addressing the digital divide and ensuring equitable access is crucial while providing ongoing support, capacity building, and community engagement. Digital technologies have demonstrated their potential to build resilient communities, particularly in times of crisis.

A Review of Building Community Resilience for Stress Free Future Farming

Farming in India, despite numerous challenges, continues to play a pivotal role in feeding the nation's vast population. Recognizing the need for resilient agricultural practices to sustain the profession and secure the future of farming, explore the importance of adopting to change in the agricultural sector. The review highlights the current challenges faced by Indian agriculture, including climate change, diminishing natural resources, fragmented land holdings, lack of access to technology and information, and socio-economic disparities. These challenges pose significant threats to the sustainability and viability of farming, necessitating proactive measures to build resilience. To make farming stress-free and attractive for future generations, the review proposes various strategies and approaches that can enhance agricultural resilience. These include the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, such as conservation agriculture, precision farming, and agroforestry, to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Additionally, the promotion of sustainable water management techniques, efficient irrigation systems, and watershed management can address the issue of diminishing water resources. Recognizing the role of policy frameworks in fostering agricultural resilience, the paper underscores the need for government support in the form of favourable policies, subsidies, and incentives.

Determining social-psychological drivers of Texas Gulf Coast homeowners’ intention to implement private green infrastructure practices

Green infrastructure (GI) has been demonstrated to be an efficient flood mitigation measure and an effective approach for building community resilience, especially in the context of climate change. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory, this study offers insight into the factors influencing residents' intention to implement individual GI practices by homeowners along the Texas Gulf Coast. The GI practices examined included the potential installation of (1) green roofs, (2) rain barrels, (3) rain gardens, (4) permeable pavement, and (5) tree protection and planting. Our findings revealed that homeowners expressed little interest in adopting GI practices owing to the lack of information, absence of incentives, and guidance on how to implement GI practices. Moreover, the findings from our modeling confirmed that perceptions of the effectiveness and cost of GI had the strongest influence on respondents’ intention to implement GI. Other significant indicators such as threat appraisal, reliance on public flood protection, perceived co-benefits, age, and the number of children varied with specific GI practices. These findings provide valuable information for city policymakers and planners in coastal regions concerning the promotion and development of GI that can meet the needs of their residents, provide the impetus for implementation, and in turn, contribute to community resilience.

Building community resilience through cross‐sector partnerships and interdisciplinary research

AbstractBuilding community resilience has become a national imperative. Substantial uncertainties in dynamic environments of emergencies and crises require real‐time information collection and dissemination based on big data analytics. These, in turn, require networked communities and cross‐sector partnerships to build lasting resilience. This viewpoint article highlights an interdisciplinary approach to building community resilience through community‐engaged research and partnerships. This perspective leverages existing community partnerships and network resources, undertakes an all‐hazard and whole‐community approach, and evaluates the use of state‐of‐the‐art information communication technologies. In doing so, it reinforces the multifaceted intergovernmental and cross‐sector networks through which resilience can be developed and sustained.

Transmission of knowledge and social learning for disaster risk reduction and building resilience: A Delphi study

AbstractThe UN Sendai Framework recognized the need for making our communities safer and more resilient to disasters by shifting policy goals from “managing disasters” to disaster risk reduction (DRR) and building resilience. For DRR and building community resilience to disaster shocks, this study posits that social learning, a process of mutual development and sharing knowledge through iterative reflections on experience, is key to changing the conventional linear logic‐based, reactive framework into one based on learning‐by‐doing (adaptive management). Toward this end, a three‐round Policy Delphi process was pursued with a combination of 18 international DRR and SES (social–ecological systems) resilience scholars, practitioners, and public officials. Weak policy frameworks; operational, cultural and educational/training silos; and domination of technical knowledge were identified as major challenges in knowledge and learning transmission. Balancing technical knowledge with social science, and working toward transdisciplinary approaches and transformative practices should, therefore, be nurtured.

Heading in the right direction in 2023? Post‐flood lessons toward building a water‐resilient Pakistan

AbstractThe 2022 monsoon season presented the worst‐case scenario for Pakistan in terms of what could have been visualized about water when in abundance and mismanaged. Consequently, the very foundation of the society and its people were affected. Post‐floods, as the country silently drifts toward becoming water scarce by 2025, there are valuable lessons that need to be contemplated upon for Pakistan to become water resilient. This discussion paper deliberates on this subject by introducing a policy brief on the background of the country's National Water Policy (NWP) and the 2022 floods that afflicted the lives of millions, submerging one‐third of the country. It goes on to explain insights into post‐flood lessons for the nation; these include equating water abundance and its insufficiency as a national security concern, active recognition and concentration for water management, appreciating the role of individuals, and not only working on policy formulation but its implementation as well. Conclusively, it presents institutional‐constitutional reforms as suggestions in the right direction for building a water‐resilient Pakistan. These include prioritizing water, creating water spaces and leadership, debating the idea of climate–water injustice and building community resilience, addressing subnational water conflicts, channelizing water concerns through media, considering the umbrella framework of water needs, wants, and excess, establishing water laws, practicing the policy of no corruption, and reviewing the 1991 Water Accord while maintaining the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

Library model of community resilience during the war. Activities of selected Polish academic libraries addressed to Ukrainians

On February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine, an independent country. Although the topic of academic library assistance directed to Ukrainian refugees has appeared in the media, the review of literature demonstrated that these activities have not been documented in the scientific literature so far.The aim of the study was to find out what actions addressed to the Ukrainian refugees.Polish academic libraries took to help build social resilience in case of war.The study used quantitative and qualitative methods: the survey method and the heuristic method. The survey was sent to all directors of state academic libraries in Poland.The collected data were divided into the domains: institutional, social, physical and economical. These domains were then used to design a library model of building community resilience in case of war, and to describe the links between these domains.The multi-level spectrum of activities undertaken by the academic libraries in Poland to improve the situation of Ukrainians and described in this paper lead to the recognition that libraries: are important institutions of social trust, and in order to maintain this status, they have to respond to the needs of local communities on an ongoing basis.

Indicators of community disaster fatigue: A case study in the New South Wales Blue Mountains

A succession of disasters affecting eastern Australia left communities, regions, and states with physical, mental, and resource exhaustion during 2019–2022. Fire, pandemic, and flood occurred in successive waves, hampering recovery efforts. We propose the phenomenon of community disaster fatigue to explain the failure of a community to recover, effectively function, and move forward following a series of disasters. To investigate indicators of community disaster fatigue, we undertook a case study in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales (NSW) and interviewed community leaders. The interviews were thematically analysed and then categorised through the application of the three overarching domains previously used to define community disaster fatigue: (A) defeatism, deterioration, and a lack of planning, (B) weakening health and wellbeing, and (C) corrosion of economic entrepreneurialism and decline in social capital. The results explain how disaster fatigue manifests in a diverse group of community leaders and the issues arising for their careers, volunteer workers, and communities. A major finding is that community disaster fatigue appears to be associated, on a collective level, with elements reflecting the breakdown of community resilience. Thus, as a contribution to practice, a theory of community disaster fatigue can also be useful in developing a strategy for building community resilience. Furthermore, the lack of surge funding, disengagement as a means of self-protection, and closure of local businesses, put the viability of the community at risk. Recent events indicate that closely occurring disasters should be factored into emergency planning, which is a realistic approach given the current trend of recurrent disasters in Australia.

Necessity over luxury: The Role of Green Infrastructure in Building Resilience in the Pandemic World

Urban communities around the world are facing sudden acute stress associated with the effects of the Covid19 pandemic, making them more vulnerable to dealing with trauma and shock. Cities need to be able to remain stable function in the event of stress. This can be achieved if the local resources are best-networked and utilized. To this end, urban planning must integrate appropriate GI such as urban agriculture and community gardens that can increase the adaptability of the city. As a result, the role of GI and its implementation need to be revisited to encourage a culture of resilient communities. In this framework, this paper promotes healthy human and natural systems in urban environments, while providing the most valuable and necessary ecosystem services delivered by GI to build community resilience, such as community gardens. Examine the role of community-based GI for an era where lush cities and the luxury of public spaces do not provide enough positive value to people currently affected by the pandemic. To that end, this study is a descriptive comparison of stories to understand the relationship between community resilience and resilient cities through GI. The study will highlight cases of communities that failed or raised during pandemic, concluding in a set of lessons and recommendations for the development of community resiliency within urban environments.

Building resilient communities in Slave Island: mapping collective memories through cognitive mapping

This study explores community resilience and the relationships between the built environment and memories of an urban neighbourhood using cognitive mapping as a research tool. This correlation acts as a tool that holds communities together and it is important to acknowledge them to enhance the social sustenance and resilience of those communities. However, these relationships are being disrupted through the urban regeneration projects of Colombo causing displacement, the discontinuity of identity, and the erasing of history and memories of inner-city communities, further resulting in gentrification. The research focuses on the contested neighbourhood of Slave Island as the case study area where the urban landscape has gone through drastic changes to make way for urban development projects. The study explores features in the built environment that hold collective memories to preserve and recreate them using cognitive mapping as a research tool. Six distinct residents were asked to produce a cognitive map of Slave Island and each map was analysed through a theoretical framework to understand them in terms of built environment and memories. The findings indicate that shared spaces, typologies, landmarks, public spaces, and paths have a strong association on shaping the collective memories of the residents.

Interweaving resource management with indigenous knowledge to build community resilience in the Pacific Islands: case of the Waimanu Catchment in Viti Levu, Fiji

Interweaving resource management with indigenous knowledge to build community resilience in the Pacific Islands: case of the Waimanu Catchment in Viti Levu, Fiji

An Evaluation of Local Comprehensive Plans Regarding Green Infrastructure in 52 Cities across the U.S. Gulf Coast Region

The utilization of green infrastructure (GI) showed promising results as a flood mitigation strategy and a viable solution for building community resilience and achieving sustainability, especially in light of the challenges posed by climate change and increasing climate-related hazards. Meanwhile, it remains uncertain how local governments incorporated the key principles of GI into their planning and regulatory frameworks, particularly their comprehensive plans. This study aimed to fill in the gaps by evaluating U.S. Gulf Coast cities’ comprehensive plans regarding GI. Using the content analysis method, a sample of fifty-two city comprehensive plans was evaluated to determine how well local plans support GI and to examine the factors which influence the quality of local plans. Our results indicate that the sampled cities in the Gulf Coast region are likely to have low willingness to plan and implement GI. Moreover, results from statistical analysis implied that the sampled Gulf Coast cities are more likely to produce higher-quality plans in terms of GI when there are more opportunities for public participation and involvement in the planning process. Findings from our study can provide valuable information and direction for local authorities and planners to improve the performance of their comprehensive plans and support GI implementation in the future.

The role of ancestral practices as social capital to enhance community disaster resilience. The case of the Colca Valley, Peru

Mitigating the gap between disaster risk management planning by government agencies and the perception and adaptation to risk of local communities is currently challenging. Numerous studies have generated knowledge based on the value of community actions and increased resilience. This research aims to analyze the role of ancestral Andean practices in building community resilience in settlements exposed to volcanic risk. The methodology is based on the combination of quantitative methods, survey and qualitative methods, focus groups, and interviews. The case study is the Colca Valley in Arequipa, specifically the villages which were affected by the eruption of the Sabancaya volcano and by collateral seismic effects. The results support knowledge regarding risk management in Andean communities, in addition to reflecting on 4 findings related to the validity of ancestral networks and practices, the lack of community trust regarding the government's response capacity, the differences between the perception of risk according to the activities that are carried out within the same community, and the existence of different perceptions of risk according to the location of the communities.

How schools build community resilience capacity and social capital in disaster preparedness, response and recovery

Schools are an integral part of any community. Over the years, they have contributed to the history, identity and social fabric of their communities. The buildings themselves are familiar landmarks and, as well as their educational function, they provide a range of social, cultural and sporting activities for the wider community. When disaster strikes, schools can be requisitioned for accommodation and relief centres or information hubs. Recommencing education is a high priority in post-disaster response programmes as it frees up adults to engage in recovery and reconstruction activities while signalling the beginning of a return to recognisable societal functioning. This article reports on a decade of research undertaken by the author on the role of schools in disaster response and recovery across four different disaster types in five countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The author argues that while the expectations held of schools in post-disaster contexts are high, they feel under-prepared, under-resourced and under-acknowledged for this critical role. Despite their misgivings, schools take on this responsibility willingly and communities look to them for safety, comfort and advice. This article outlines the many ways in which schools support their communities prior to, during and after a disaster, and discusses the significant contribution that schools play in building community resilience capacity and social capital. The article concludes with recommendations for how this role might be better recognised and supported in local and national government disaster policy and planning.

A Multicriteria Approach to Assessing Landslide Community Resilience. Case Study: Bumiaji Sub-District

Bumiaji Sub-District is located in a mountainous area with a high-risk level of landslides. Throughout 2017-2022, there were 45 landslide events affected physical, social, and economic damages. One approach to reduce disaster risk is building community resilience. This research aims to assess Landslide Community resilience in Bumiaji Sub-District. It is important to describe the characteristic of resilience level in each village. This research was done by using AHP to determine the weight of variables and indicators, then calculated with Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC) based on six variables: Physical, Social, Economic, Environmental, Community Capital, and Institutional. Data was collected by primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected by using interviews with experts from the government and the local community in Batu City, and secondary data was collected from the literature study. The results of AHP show that the highest priority of indicators is community preparedness, and the lowest priority is the number of health facilities. The weight of each factor was multiplied by the values of the indicators to assess the landslide community resilience index. The highest level of community resilience is Punten, caused by the high score in Physical, Economic, and Institutional aspects. The low level of resilience is Bumiaji and Pandanrejo Village. Both villages did not have regular mitigation programs to strengthen local communities, so the resilience level of community capital is low.

How Infectious Disease Experts Impacted the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Response: Lessons From the Front Lines.

In this article, we summarize findings from research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Infectious Diseases Society of America to understand infectious disease (ID) workforce contributions to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response and their impacts. ID experts were found to have made diverse and unique contributions that went well beyond their usual responsibilities, with many spending several hours a week on these activities without additional compensation. These efforts were thought to not only build community resilience but also augment the ongoing public health response. Respondents also reported several hospital and clinical leadership roles taken on during the pandemic, such as developing protocols and leading clinical trials. We also make several policy recommendations, such as medical student debt relief and improved compensation, that will be needed to help fortify the ID workforce for future pandemics.

Building Community Resiliency through Immersive Communal Extended Reality (CXR)

Situated and shared experiences can motivate community members to plan shared action, promoting community engagement. We deployed and evaluated a communal extended-reality (CXR) bus tour that depicts the possible impacts of flooding and climate change. This paper describes the results of seven community engagement sessions with a total of N = 74 members of the Roosevelt Island community. We conducted pre- and post-bus tour focus groups to understand how the tour affected these community members’ awareness and motivation to take action. We found that the unique qualities of immersive, situated, and geo-located virtual reality (VR) on a bus made climate change feel real, brought the consequences of climate change closer to home, and highlighted existing community resources to address the issue. Our results showed that the CXR experience helped to simulate a physical emergency state, which empowered the community to translate feelings of hopelessness into creative and actionable ideas. Our finding exemplifies that geo-located VR on a bus can be a powerful tool to motivate innovations and collective action. Our work is a first-of-its-kind empirical contribution showing that CXR experiences can inspire action. It offers a proof-of-concept of a large-scale community engagement process featuring simulated communal experiences, leading to creative ideas for a bottom-up community resiliency plan.

Quō vādis? from disaster management to building community resiliency: Medical reserve corps and their unique potential

BackgroundMedical Reserve Corps (MRC) in the U.S. provide an approach to organize and incorporate trained public health and medical professionals and supplement the current public health workforce. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MRCs provided immunizations, educated the general public, and assisted with community screening and testing. Reports of MRC activities are publicly available; however, their challenges are not well discussed. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to identify some challenges that MRC units faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsThis cross-sectional pilot study aimed to address the composition, recruitment, and training of MRC volunteers and their responses during the pandemic. The survey consisted of 18 close-ended questions across 3 domains: (1) structure and designation of the MRC unit, (2) recruitment and training opportunities for volunteers; (3) demographics; and 2 open-ended questions. ResultsA total of 568 units across 23 states were invited to participate in this exploratory study with only 29 units completing the survey. Out of 29 respondents, 72% were female and 28% male, 45% were nurses, 10% were physicians, and 5% were pharmacists. Retired members were reported in 58% of MRC units, while 62% reported members being active professionals. Qualitative analysis revealed two themes - Obstacles faced by MRC units and Interdisciplinary Composition. ConclusionsIn this exploratory pilot study, we identified the challenges of MRC units during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings indicated variation in composition and type of volunteers at different MRC units that may be considered in planning for future disasters and emergencies.