Place-Based Approaches to Community Resilience through Response, Recovery, and Preparedness

As the impacts of climate change continue to manifest throughout the world with greater frequency, the question of how to best prepare for and recover from natural disasters is more crucial than ever. Evidence shows that beyond ripping through physical infrastructure and claiming lives, natural disasters 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 proven that communities with strong social ties are better prepared for the inevitable effects of climate change (Aldrich, 2015). 

Recognizing this, New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) is working to put together a Community Emergency Toolkit in order to support the creation of preparedness plans at a community level. Public space is a crucial tool in determining how to build more socially resilient communities. There has been significant research proving that connection to place and neighborhood contributes to increased civic participation, better social bonds, and higher Gross Domestic Product (Johnston, 2015). Researchers and government officials are already exploring the ways that public space can be used to build social capital before disaster strikes, by connecting communities and improving neighborhood ties. Additionally, public space has long been used as an organizing tool in wake of disaster. This study aims to better understand the importance and the uses of public spaces in all stages of disaster: response, recovery, and preparedness.