URBAN RESILIENCE
Exploring what helps make urban areas resilient to natural and man-made shocks and why some places are more able to withstand shocks than others.
We live in an increasingly urban world. How our towns and cities cope with shocks and hazards, both natural and manmade, is of increasing interest to policy makers, businesses and, of course, residents themselves. Some cities and towns appear to be more resilient to shocks and crises than others. Why this is and what lessons can be learnt from this is the subject of much discussion and debate.
Drawing on recent research, we consider the various ways in which resilience is portrayed, the opportunities and challenges inherent in actions promoting urban resilience and some of the criticisms of the concept.
We are particularly interested in how the choices of individual households, firms and public bodies shape resilience outcomes and how these choices are in turn shaped by the surrounding environment.
In this section we focus on more generic questions of what constitutes urban resilience and how this might be encouraged. The more specific consideration of the resilience of urban economies and the resilience of towns and cities to water shocks have their own collection of material.
The rise of the off-grid city?
In the face of scarce or erratic public water supplies urban households are increasingly sourcing their own water supplies in sub-Saharan Africa. Typically, this is through commissioning their own borehole. Is this giving rise to the phenomena of the [...]
A ‘cycle’ of resilience? The rule of four.
Resilience is often described as a series of stages. In practice, policy-makers recognise four stages in a resilience-cycle. However, the dynamic nature of resilience means that these stages may overlap as an economy experiences multiple shocks over time. [...]
Parameters of resilience: the fundamentals don’t change but the findings might.
Economic resilience has been described as a fuzzy concept. Asking some simple questions, such as the resilience of what, to what and for whom can help to bring clarity. This will help policy-makers determine what path they should chart [...]
How much water and for whom (or what)?
Urban water resilience focuses on the ability of urban populations to manage a water shock and cope with water stress. Hidden within this statement are important questions as to how much water is needed to constitute coping and what [...]
Drilling dialogues: conversations about drilling professionalism and the rise of the off-grid city
Professionalism across the drilling industry is an over-looked factor in groundwater stewardship. It takes on an increasing significance as urban households across sub-Saharan Africa access groundwater reserves directly to self-provide their own water supplies. The African Water Association [...]