Kathleen Tierney

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Bam, Iran Earthquake
Indian Ocean Tsunami
Hurricane Katrina
Conceptualizing and Measuring Disaster Resilience

• Kathleen Tierney
• Department of Sociology
• Natural Hazards Center
• University of Colorado, Boulder

3rd Annual CRHNet Symposium Montreal, October 13,
2006
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Purpose of This Presentation

• To Share Information on Approaches to
  Conceptualizing and Assessing Resilience
• Collaborative Research at the Multidisciplinary
  Center for Earthquake Engineering Research
• (MCEER)
• Social Capital and Resilience

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MCEER Project on Resilience

• Integrating Knowledge on Resilience from
• Ecology/Environmental Science
• Engineering
• Hazards Research
• Organizational Behavior Performance
• Psychology, Social Psychology

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Commonalities Across Disciplines

• Resilience Consists of
• Relatively Stable or Inherent Properties That
  Protect Units of Analysis From Shock, Trauma
  Disruption or Reduce Their Impacts (e.g.,
  Biodiversity, Economic Diversification,
  Psychological Attributes, Social Support
  Networks)
• Adaptive Properties That Enable Units of Analysis
  to Bounce Back and Recover from Shock, Trauma,
  Disruption Without Experiencing Negative Effects
  Over a Long Period (e.g., Psychological Coping,
  Ability to Obtain External Resources,
  Work-Arounds, Organizational Innovation)

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Dimensions, Components, or Properties of
Resilience

• Robustness Inherent Strength, Resistance
• Redundancy System Properties That Allow for
  Alternative Options, Choices, Substitutions
• Resourcefulness Capacity to Mobilize Needed
  Resources
• Rapidity Speed With Which Disruption Can Be
  Overcome Service, Income, etc., Restored

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Lack of Robustness Bam Earthquake, 2003 Adobe
Construction Hurricane Katrina Levee
Breaks, 2005
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Lack of Redundancy Hurricane Katrina,
2005 Auto-Dependent Evacuation
World Trade Center Attack, 2001 No Alternate EOC
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Lack of Resourcefulness Pakistan Earthquake,
2005 Disaster Far Exceeds Societal Capacity In
dian Ocean Tsunami, 2004 No Effective
Warning System
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Lack of Rapidity Katrina Victims Await Help
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Application to the Built Environment
4Rs Robustness, Redundancy, Resourcefulness,
Rapidity
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Further Elaboration Resilience Domains

• Technical Physical SystemsLocation-Based
  Distributed Critical Facilities
• Organizational Attributes, Dynamics of
  Organizations Institutions
• Social Attributes, Dynamics of Communities and
  Populations
• Economic Attributes, Dynamics of Local and
  Regional Economies Their Constituent Units
  (e.g. Businesses)

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Resilience Property Space Examples
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Societal Dimensions of ResilienceThe Relevance
of Social Capital

• Social Capital (Bourdieu, Putnam)
• Assets, Advantages Linked to Social
  PositionEspecially Positions in Social Networks
• Assets Include Information, Social Support,
  Social Solidarity, Civic Engagement, Political
  Influence, Trust, Access to Monetary Resources,
  Capacity for Collective Action

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US National Research Council Report, Facing
Hazards and Disasters Understanding Human
Dimensions (2006)

• Argues for Importance of Social Capital in
  Enabling of Households, Social Classes, Racial
  Ethnic Groups, Neighborhoods, Community Sectors
  to Reduce Disaster Losses
• Sees Social Capital as Enhancing Resilience
• Distinguishes Between Horizontal (Within-Group)
  and Vertical (Extra-Group) Linkages

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Social Ties and Resilience (NRC)
Vertical Linkages Strong
Weak
Horizontal Linkages Strong
Weak
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Social Capital Indicators

• Civic Associations, Community-Based Groups
  Voluntary Organizations, Occupationally-Based
  Organizations, Other Indicators of Civic
  Engagement
• Formal and Informal Social Networks
• Intermediary and Advocacy Groups (e.g., for
  Elderly, Persons With Disabilities)
• Capacity to Influence Community Decisions
• Ties that Extend Beyond Local Community

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Life, Death, and Social Capital

• Eric Klinenberg Heat Wave A Social Autopsy of
  Disaster in Chicago (2002)
• Heat Wave Deaths Associated With Neighborhood
  Social Disorganization Blight, Social
  Isolation, Crime
• Vibrant Community Institutions Buffered the
  Effects of the Heat Wave, Reduced Life Loss

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Social Capital and Resilience Examples

• Includes Bonding and Bridging Forms
• Promotes Information Dissemination
• Provides Material Emotional Support
• Helps Identify Needs
• Links Victims With Resources
• Results in Trust, Not Suspicion
• Strengthens Group Influence
• Facilitates Extra-Community Collaborations
• Promotes Collective Action, Strengthens Ability
  to Exert Political Pressure

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Concluding Questions

• What Strategies Can Be Used to Enhance Social
  Capital, Particularly Within Poor, Minority,
  Underserved Groups?
• What Resilience-Enhancing Projects Exist Now, and
  How Can We Tell
• Whether They Are Effective?

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• Natural Hazards Center
• University of Colorado
• 482 UCB
• Boulder, CO 80309-0482

Phone [phone] Web www.colorado.edu/hazar
ds