Connecting Theory With Practice: Time to Explore Social Resilience from Collective Wellbeing Perspective

Session: Environmental Justice, Environmental Work, and Resilience
Type: Mixed Paper Session

Abstract

The existing literature studies the impacts of neighborhoods on individual well-being neglecting the collective dimension of wellbeing which needs to be addressed to design socially resilient communities. The study aims to explore the existing gaps by rethinking social resilience in terms of collective wellbeing and as a transformative measure to address intersectional inequities. Collective wellbeing happens by maintaining and creating commonalities among ethnicities and races. This study raises the question of how collective well-being translates into resilience planning projects. This study compares the practical examples (ex. Providence’s Climate Justice Plan, and documents developed by the NAACP), with the existing literature on social resilience and equitable climate planning. The result of the study has shown that there is no clear identification of the small-scale loss- that can harm communities in the literature. This study brings together academics and real-world practices by rethinking social resilience in terms of the collective wellbeing pathways. 

Authors