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Abstract
Improving community resilience requires a way of thinking about the nature of a community. Two complementary aspects are proposed: the flows connecting the community with its surrounding environment and the resources the community needs for its ongoing life. The body of necessary resources is complex, with many interactions between its elements. A systems approach is required to understand the issues adequately. Community resilience is discussed in general terms together with strategies for improving it. The ideas are then illustrated and amplified by an extended case study addressing means of improving the resilience of a community on the West Coast of New Zealand to natural disasters. The case study is in two phases. The first relies on a mix of on-the-ground observations and constructed scenarios to provide recommendations for enhancing community resilience, while the second complements the first by developing a set of general lessons and issues to be addressed from observations of the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.
Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges the insights coming from fellow consultants Ian McCahon and Rob Dewhirst as we struggled to understand tricky issues, the ongoing encouragement and patience freely given by Mel Sutherland of the Grey District Council, and the helpful ideas arising from discussions with Pat Helm of New Zealand's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.