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Moving beyond short-term coping and adaptation

Wamsler, Christine LU and Brink, Ebba LU (2014) In Environment & Urbanization 26(1). p.86-111
Abstract
Throughout human history, people have coped with, and adapted

to, their environment. This accumulated capacity at local level is increasingly recognized to be critical in improving resilience and transformation. Nevertheless, city dwellers’ coping and adaptive practices are little known, poorly documented and often not taken into account in the work of municipal authorities and aid organizations. Against this background, this study provides a systematic overview

of urban residents’ coping and adaptive practices, presents critical insights into their risk-reducing effects and discusses their role in the development of policies and projects to increase resilience. It shows that coping should not automatically be seen as... (More)
Throughout human history, people have coped with, and adapted

to, their environment. This accumulated capacity at local level is increasingly recognized to be critical in improving resilience and transformation. Nevertheless, city dwellers’ coping and adaptive practices are little known, poorly documented and often not taken into account in the work of municipal authorities and aid organizations. Against this background, this study provides a systematic overview

of urban residents’ coping and adaptive practices, presents critical insights into their risk-reducing effects and discusses their role in the development of policies and projects to increase resilience. It shows that coping should not automatically be seen as maladaptive. The success or failure of urban societies in building resilience and moving towards transformation does not necessarily depend on the

effectiveness of individual coping strategies but on the flexibility and inclusiveness of coping/adaptation systems at the individual, household and community level (i.e. the combined set of strategies). Therefore, it is crucial to support the ability of urban communities to negotiate their needs and rights in order to increase the flexibility and inclusiveness of these systems and make them more viable in today’s context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
community-based risk reduction, adaptive practice, adaptation, climate change, resilience, adaptive capacity, coping strategies, urban transformation
in
Environment & Urbanization
volume
26
issue
1
pages
86 - 111
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • wos:000335653200006
  • scopus:84899658024
ISSN
1746-0301
DOI
10.1177/0956247813516061
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
fec01591-09a6-4ed6-b539-aae821cf1133 (old id 4392219)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:12:14
date last changed
2022-04-12 03:01:53
@article{fec01591-09a6-4ed6-b539-aae821cf1133,
  abstract     = {{Throughout human history, people have coped with, and adapted<br/><br>
to, their environment. This accumulated capacity at local level is increasingly recognized to be critical in improving resilience and transformation. Nevertheless, city dwellers’ coping and adaptive practices are little known, poorly documented and often not taken into account in the work of municipal authorities and aid organizations. Against this background, this study provides a systematic overview<br/><br>
of urban residents’ coping and adaptive practices, presents critical insights into their risk-reducing effects and discusses their role in the development of policies and projects to increase resilience. It shows that coping should not automatically be seen as maladaptive. The success or failure of urban societies in building resilience and moving towards transformation does not necessarily depend on the<br/><br>
effectiveness of individual coping strategies but on the flexibility and inclusiveness of coping/adaptation systems at the individual, household and community level (i.e. the combined set of strategies). Therefore, it is crucial to support the ability of urban communities to negotiate their needs and rights in order to increase the flexibility and inclusiveness of these systems and make them more viable in today’s context.}},
  author       = {{Wamsler, Christine and Brink, Ebba}},
  issn         = {{1746-0301}},
  keywords     = {{community-based risk reduction; adaptive practice; adaptation; climate change; resilience; adaptive capacity; coping strategies; urban transformation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{86--111}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Environment & Urbanization}},
  title        = {{Moving beyond short-term coping and adaptation}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/1650180/4392225.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0956247813516061}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}