Public Perceptions of Resilience and Vulnerability Concepts for Adaptation

Bibliographic Data

ID21373777
AuthorsGreg Oulahen (Toronto Metropolitan University), Christopher Randall (Toronto Metropolitan University), Christopher K Randall (Toronto Metropolitan University), Calvin Nguyen (Toronto Metropolitan University), Carrie L Mitchell (0000-0002-1773-8832, University of Waterloo), Carrie Mitchell (University of Waterloo)
Year2024
Volume76
Issue1
Pages13-23
Publication date2024-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Professional Geographer (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-0124 • E-ISSN: 1467-9272
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00330124.2023.2250415
OpenAlexW4387129826
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited62

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

Adaptation (eye) · Computer security · Conceptualization · Framing (construction) · Geography · Political science · Resilience (materials science) · Sociology · Vulnerability (computing) · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Flood Risk Assessment and Management · Psychology · Social Psychology