Basic HTML Version
38
Resilient urban systems:
a socio-technical study of community scale climate change adaptation initiatives
5.3.1
Knowledge
Householder knowledge can be seen as the combination of current and past experiences, information
derived informally through others (shared), and knowledge derived formally, through intentional
communications (learned). Interview findings suggest that at both case study locations, householder
knowledge is central to perceived and actual levels of risk and vulnerability, and therefore to resilience as a
whole. Key enablers of knowledge identified are:
• Experience;
• Diversity;
• Community cohesion; and
• Knowledge sharing.
5.3.1.1
Experience
Experience shapes perceptions of risk and vulnerability and directly informs both the range of options
available for people to cope with disturbance and their personal level of tolerance to disturbance.
Residents at WestWyck and Aurora noted how previous experiences of service system faults helped them
adapt behaviours in order to maintain core household functions during disturbances:
“We spent some time in the Philippines, so we know how to flush water down [if the
cistern does not fill]. So we just, you know, if it’s yellow let it mellow kind of thing.” (A9)
“[During power blackouts] we have got gas on the stove, so if we needed to have a cup
of tea of anything we just used that and just candles and then went to bed.” (A7)
“I lived in South Australia for a long time, and I was very conscious of water there, and I
developed personal habits that made me very respectful of water.” (W1)
In effect, people’s previous experience gave them a range of practical options to choose from that they
felt some degree of familiarity with. Experience of previously altering their practices also increased their
confidence in their ability to adapt, and find alternative solutions to future disturbances.
Knowledge
Context
Agency
Experience;
diversity;
community
cohesion;
sharing
Priorities;
finances; house
design; system
design
Community
organisation;
system/devleopment
governance; level of
co-management
Figure 6: Key social enablers of resilience