Narratives of everyday resilience: lessons from an urban kampung community in Surabaya, Indonesia
International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment
ISSN: 1759-5908
Article publication date: 14 October 2020
Issue publication date: 15 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss what people perceive as risks and resilience factors, and how they build everyday resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focuses on Kampung (literally “village”) Plampitan, a neighbourhood in the inner-city part of Surabaya. The research used field observation, in-depth interviews and workshops during community meetings to collect data.
Findings
The results show how people respond to daily risks and find the support necessary to survive. The problems and risks revealed in the study include crime and economic difficulties, such as unemployment and insufficient income. Coping strategies identified are classified into place-based adaption, people-based network and political network. These strategies can serve as a starting point for local communities to assess their resilience and assist them in enhancing “everyday” resilience.
Originality/value
The paper argues that the concept of resilience must go beyond top-down approaches to disaster risk management and integrate bottom-up understanding from the perspective of local people, especially among marginal and disadvantaged communities. The paper develops the emerging and overlooked concept of “everyday resilience” and suggests that it is essential in surviving both “everyday” or small-scale chronic risks and large-scale disasters.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The paper was first presented at the 9th International Conference of Building Resilience, in Bali, Indonesia, held on 13–15 January 2020. The authors would like to thank conference participants for their feedback. The authors would also like to acknowledge kampung residents who welcomed us into their everyday lives and participated in this research. This paper is part of the first author’s doctoral study at the Faculty of Built Environment, The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia. Her study is supported by an Australia Awards Scholarship.
Citation
Shirleyana, Hawken, S., Sunindijo, R.Y. and Sanderson, D. (2021), "Narratives of everyday resilience: lessons from an urban
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited