Resilience in the social and physical realms: Lessons from the Gulf Coast

The mounting frequency and scale of natural disasters, increasing urbanization, a growing reliance on interdependent technologies and infrastructure, and inflated expectations of emergency response interventions are responsible for greater disaster vulnerability and demonstrate the need to establish more resilient communities ahead of a disaster. The decisions of the private sector are among the reasons for increased vulnerability, for example through unsustainable or unsound real estate development.One factor that is known to impact resilience is social capital, particularly as manifested in strong social networks. The built environment has been shown to influence social networks in multiple ways. Research has shown that walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with a higher concentration of social gathering places and public space encourage the development of social capital and place attachment through an increase in social interaction. The built environment is a physical, social, and symbolic anchor for residents. Most importantly for resilience, it can be a support system for social networks. The private sector influences this relationship through real estate development decisions.This paper examines how characteristics of the built environment that influence social networks contributed to greater resilience to Hurricane Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Given that social networks increase community resilience to all types of disasters, that social networks are shown to be influenced by certain types of space, and that the built environment is a common intervention for urban planners, this paper explores the potential for creating cities that are more resilient by encouraging private development that fosters social networks.