Seattle's community emergency hubs: Public spaces as post-disaster organizing tools

Abstract

As the impacts of climate change continue to manifest throughout the world with greater frequency, addressing the question of how to best prepare for and recover from disasters is more crucial than ever. Evidence shows that beyond ripping through physical infrastructure and claiming lives, disasters also damage social networks and community bonds, making the impacts perceptible long after houses are rebuilt. The importance of social infrastructure in disaster planning is becoming more widely researched and considered, and it is consistently shown that communities with strong social ties are better prepared for the inevitable effects of climate change (Aldrich 2015). Recognizing this, many cities have begun to implement and support preparedness and response plans at a community level.

Parent Publication

• Green Readiness, Response, and Recovery: A Collaborative Synthesis

Citation

Landau, Laura. 2019. Seattle's community emergency hubs: Public spaces as post-disaster organizing tools. In: Campbell, Lindsay K.; Svendsen, Erika; Sonti, Nancy Falxa; Hines, Sarah J.; Maddox, David, eds. Green readiness, response, and recovery: A collaborative synthesis. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-185. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 130-143. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-P-185-paper9.