Search for: All records

This study explores how marginalized populations in high-hazard-risk areas on the Oregon coast utilize valued locations and social networks to adapt to daily challenges and natural hazards.We hypothesize that locations most valued for their associated resources (community assets) also support the most social capital. Focus group discussions and a novel conceptual mapping activity were employed to identify preferred community assets and associated social capital for Latinx residents.Community-based organizations, churches and schools are the preferred community assets found to enable strong social capital, although differences existed in which forms of structural social capital were identified. Mechanisms by which relationships are formed in this case study and implications for disaster resilience are discussed and theoretically linked to other relevant contexts.We provide policy recommendations to utilize community assets and social capital to support disaster resilience for marginalized populations.Recruitment of participants through a community-engaged process developed trust with Latinx community members. Focus group design addressed barriers to participation to create space for diverse perspectives. By applying social capital theory to this data, actionable insights are identified to better incorporate the values and needs of marginalized groups into disaster risk reduction efforts. 

Disaster risk reduction requires the identification and assessment of critical infrastructure that may be impacted during a disaster event and taking proactive steps to mitigate these impacts. Yet little consideration is given towards how systemic marginalization of certain populations may inhibit their access to critical infrastructure. Understanding and expanding our understanding of what is considered “critical” in a community could help build greater adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability, particularly for marginalized or underrepresented populations. In this case study, we examine how Latinx coastal community residents in Oregon (USA) perceive current critical facilities and their values associated with these places, as well as the identification of new locations that are valued as critical to their community and seen as places they would go to in times of need. Our analysis reveals that hazard resilience planning efforts that focused only protecting current critical facilities without including marginalized community members’ perspective, run the risk of creating inequitable access and utilization of these spaces during emergencies. Our results point to the need to broaden the types of facilities that are considered “critical” and incorporating inclusionary policies within existing critical facilities in order to increase communities’ capacity to respond and recover from natural hazards. The aim of this research is to identify systemic issues in resilience planning efforts, not to catalog cultural differences. 

Abstract To meet the challenges of hazards impacting coastal communities, demand is growing for more equitable coastal natural hazard adaptation and disaster mitigation approaches, supported by co-productive research partnerships. This review paper outlines contemporary advances in hazard adaptation and disaster mitigation with attention to how an equity and justice framework can address the uneven impacts of hazards on marginalized and underserved communities. Drawing upon the allied concepts of distributive, procedural, systemic, and recognitional equity and justice, we illustrate how these concepts form the basis for equitable coastal resilience. To demonstrate how equitable resilience can effectively advance contemporary adaptation and mitigation strategies, we present two vignettes where collaborative partnerships underscore how equitable coastal hazard planning and response practices complement these processes in coastal zones subject to large earthquakes and tsunamis. The first vignette focuses on disaster response and takes place in the Tohoku region of Japan, with diverse gender and sexual minority community members’ experiences of, and responses to, the 2011 Tohoku disasters. The second vignette centers on hazard planning and takes place on the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast along the Cascadia Subduction Zone to demonstrate how principles of distributive, procedural, systemic, and recognitional equity can inform the co-production of alternative coastal futures that prioritize equitable resilience. From this discussion, we suggest applying an equity lens to research processes, including alternative futures modeling frameworks, to ensure that the benefits of hazard adaptation and disaster mitigation strategies are equitably applied and shared.