The concept of resilience has been receiving increased public attention, due to emerging challenges of climate change and, most recently, of CV-19 pandemic. The effects of such mega trends on different population groups, on entire regions or cities, and the complex interdependences between various impacts, show that there are not only common development problems, but rather far-reaching changes and societal transformation processes. Those effects endangering the quality of life and public health as central prerequisites for development, are hardly to assess in advance.
In such processes it becomes clear that social and technical infrastructures play a decisive role as they are more or less vulnerable, while they are required to quickly adapt to new challenges. Thus, there is a necessity for strategical transition processes in sub-areas of urban-regional development. Scientific expertise and practice-related requirements are therefore asked more than ever to identify critical infrastructures, and strategically strengthen them to enable resilient development.
RESIST will elaborate the requirements for resilience of urban-regional development and recommendations of most important research topics. For this purpose, in an innovative way resilience with its most relevant components of vulnerability and adaptive capacity is discussed in a social-ecological understanding: new results are expected regarding vulnerability of critical infrastructures in the urban regions of Austria and regarding adaptive capacity of distinct systems with their specific instruments, actors and social networks. Doing so, RESIST integrates evidence of city stakeholders (planners, infrastructure actors) and of scientists from different disciplines.
Beside a literature review and a glossary, the empirical processing will comprehend the use of suitable qualitative and quantitative method: (1) Survey on the most important above described issues, both with the stakeholders in cities, and with scientists from various disciplines(urban planning, architecture, informatics, social sciences), (2) workshop with important stakeholders on practical experiences, (3) qualitative interviews with scientists to deepen their subject-specific expertise, (4) joint workshop with the most important experts from both groups.
This approach, based on well-triangulated use of methods, forms the basis for the identification of critical infrastructures, and delivers strategic recommendations for future research needs and topics. Participation of important stakeholders from practice and scientists is already secured through Letters of Intents LOI. The professional and scientific networks will also be expanded throughout the survey.
The project approach ensures that all project activities can be carried out online without large face-to-face meetings. The possible contact restrictions due to the existing Covid-19 regulations therefore shouldn’t hinder the project development.
