Leveraging inter-organizational coordination networks for housing climate change adaptation across Rural Alaska

ABSTRACT

Climate change impacts on housing are an essential concern for Alaska Native communities. Adaptation literature has largely ignored the role of inter-organizational coordination networks in supporting housing adaptation. To address this gap, we surveyed 26 organizations and 36 participants from organizations working regionally in rural Alaska on housing service, construction, and engineering projects. We employ social network analysis (SNA), including Logistic Regression Quadratic Assignment Procedure (LRQAP), to explore the influence of network centrality on an organization’s ability to enact housing adaptation. Results indicate that when two organizations have similarities in their network centrality, or how connected an organization was in the network, the less likely they are to have similar, positive views in their ability to enact housing adaptation. With a limited capacity to prepare for climate change impacts and integrate adaptation into existing programs, it is important for organizations and governments to mobilize the entirety of inter-organizational coordination networks.

KEYWORDS:

• climate change adaptation
• housing adaptation
• Rural alaska
• inter-organizational coordination
• social network analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, JT. Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are proprietary or confidential in nature and may only be provided with restrictions (e.g., anonymized data). The survey responses identify organizations and participants and thus need to be de-identified.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This material is based in part on work supported by the National Science Foundation #928105. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Jessica E. Taylor

Jessica E. Taylor’s research involves stakeholder engagement and partnership building for climate change adaptation of infrastructure and co-design and construction of housing.

Cristina Poleacoschi

Cristina Poleacovschi is an Assistant Professor in the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department. Her research involves climate change adaptation, disaster resilience, knowledge sharing in project-based organization, infrastructure inequities, and enhancing critical consciousness and social justice attitudes in engineering education.

Aaron Opdyke

Aaron Opdyke is a Lecturer in Humanitarian Engineering at The University of Sydney in the School of Civil Engineering. His research involves disasters and infrastructure in resource-constrained communities and seeks to strengthen preparedness for and recovery after disaster and conflict, through the lens of safe and equitable shelter and settlements.

Kristen Cetin

Kristen Cetin is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research involves the use of building energy and daylight modeling and smart technologies to improve building energy performance and reduce peak loads, while maintaining occupant comfort.