Road to Resilience

What is the way to resilience? As climate change and economic projections become more clear, our future seems to become more uncertain.  What do we prioritize among the endless number of turns we could take to ensure a livable future?

This blog will skim the latest science and theory on building resilience within conventional planning disciplines, but will focus more on the emerging and experimental developments in social sustainability and behavior change.

The infographic below does a great job of defining disaster resilience and differentiating the practice of resilience planning from the more traditional emergency preparedness planning. It also maps out the kinds of strategies that we could prioritize and measure to track our progress.  I'm excited by the work of the RAND Corporation and their innovative approach to building stronger, more sustainable communities.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/infographics/IG114.html

As we continue to develop communications and tools for building more resilient communities, it will be important to expand the frame beyond natural disasters to encompass all of the stressors that communities face in their struggle to leave the world a better place. Recognizing that almost every thinkable discipline is in someway researching and uncovering the mechanisms of adaptation, evolution, and transformation, we must continue to humble ourselves within the greater patterns of nature.  Could there ever really be a "road" to where we want to go?

The more I contemplate community resilience, the more I see it as a de-paving of a highway paradigm, the re-greening of our minds, and the honoring of a collective compass that has always existed. It's genetic. It's galactic. It's spiritual. It's life in all it's brilliance. It's integrative resilience.