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Rethinking resilience planning: from problems to potential

Vera M. Novak (College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA)
Nieves Fernandez-Anez (Department of Energy and Fuels, UPM Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain)
Koichiro Shiraishi (National Maritime Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan)

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment

ISSN: 1759-5908

Article publication date: 11 September 2017

241

Abstract

Purpose

Planning for the future can become mired in fixing the problems of the present. To create alternative solutions, planning must break free of the boundaries and assumptions of existing paradigms. The purpose of this paper is to explore an alternative way of thinking that reframes the issues from problems of “what is” to the potential of “what could be” in the context of socio-ecological resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study reviews the limitations revealed during a traditional problem-solving exercise on the topic of Coastal Eco-Cities, as well as the innovations resulting from the rethinking of the issues through the lens of the alternative paradigm.

Findings

A key finding is the significance of linguistic modality, shifting from objective expressions to subjective dialogue.

Originality/value

The originality of this approach is the emphasis on the framing of the problem before the development of the solution and the methodological implications of this early dialogue.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

In loving memory of Vera M. Novak. Thank you for your friendship, guidance and warmth. The moments we have shared are something we will keep in our hearts forever.

Funding for this research was provided as part of the 2013 Research Collegium by Lloyds Register Foundation (LRF), facilitated by Mr Michael Franklin and Eileen Kinghan. Program hosting and academic support was provided by University of Southampton, under the guidance of Professor Ajit Shenoi, Professor Philip Wilson and Doctor Sally Bennett. A special acknowledgement goes to Professor Vaughan Pomeroy for his feedback and assistance to the team, as well as his lecture and that of Simon Letts, Councilmember of Southampton, on systems thinking. This provided the seed for the integrated approach in the final team project as well in for this retrospective analysis and concept innovation. The authors also wish to acknowledge other team members, Ziad Morsy and Sang Jin Kim and Professor Nuria Nebot for consulting on this project and providing the concept drawing.

Citation

Novak, V.M., Fernandez-Anez, N. and Shiraishi, K. (2017), "Rethinking resilience planning: from problems to potential", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 412-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-04-2015-0024

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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