A community is more than just homes, stores, roads, and sidewalks. It is also the people inhabiting that space and it is defined by their social relationships, culture, economic and governance structures, and shared activities and memories. Each community has its own unique values, capacity, and culture. This means that every community’s resilience building strategies will look different. Although each community needs to approach resilience in a different way, there are tools out there that can help guide them. This report from the Post Carbon Institute looks at 6 foundations for building long-lasting community resilience. It approaches resilience building as an on-going process and not as an end goal.
Economic Opportunities for Community Resilience in Virginia
We chose to focus this year’s Resilient Virginia Conference on the numerous economic opportunities that currently exist for building community resilience in the state. Let’s be clear – businesses and communities will increasingly face risks in infrastructure damage, supply chain disruptions, and the toll on workers. However, by taking advantage of economic opportunities, they can begin to address the risks they are facing.