While government focuses on developing national resilience plans to safeguard citizens against natural and manmade hazards, businesses have a fundamental part to play in building community resilience, says London First's Robert Hall. 

Of the many interpretations of resilience, one springs from the world of ecology.

The study of biological systems and their natural environments gave rise to the notion that there was an inherent equilibrium to which ecosystems returned after experiencing a severe disturbance. The idea that forests, fisheries and even insect colonies could restore themselves – barring extreme destruction – over time for continued success was significant.

This restoration may not be a return to the original state of equilibrium but it could be sufficient to sustain the ecosystem and allow it to thrive once again. Here, resilience is not about achieving permanent stability of some state but rather about absorbing change and disruption and achieving a new state of stability. The interpretation have been adopted elsewhere.

"We see national resilience plans embody the concept of community resilience. It naturally appeals to politicians and citizens, particularly where populations face a range of serious natural hazards."

This concept is at the heart of community resilience in the context of modern-day, human populations. The idea that a community can come together after a major disruption and rebuild itself – not just for the immediate post-event period – but for the long term is a powerful one. T

he belief that community members come together to solve important problems and resolve major problems in a co-operative, proactive way is motivating and deep seated in most societies. (Community is interpreted as a social group who share a common location such as a town or neighbourhood. It usually has a shared but not necessarily homogenous culture and purpose.) 

As a result, we see national resilience plans embody the concept of community resilience. It naturally appeals to politicians and citizens, particularly where populations face a range of serious natural hazards.

Hence, the Council of Australian Governments approved a National Strategy for Disaster Resilience in 2011, a strategy which stresses the role of communities in building resilience.

London First's Global Resilience Summit: Securing the Future of Our Cities is on 15-16 October. For details and to book a place visit www.globalresiliencesummit.com

In 2015 an initiative by Resilient New Zealand involves a project called ‘The Role of Business in Recovery’ to improve how the private sector contributes to the economic and social well-being of their communities following a natural disaster. This reflects the view that businesses are an integral part of communities and have an important role to play in any recovery effort. The initiative states that ‘Communities need to be linked together from large businesses to the corner store and local sports club, with families, neighbours and colleagues all prepared to help out during a natural disaster.’ 

As part of its plans, the Government of South Australia, with advice from the Torrens Resilience Institute in Adelaide, proposed three sets of enablers which were described as the ingredients of building community resilience. Physical enablers (systems and assets) provided the means to survive and recover: procedural enablers (policies, plans and processes) provided the ideas: while social enablers (leadership, knowledge and motivation) provided the will. All three enablers are mutually supporting; enhanced physical security, for instance, will improve a community’s confidence and morale. 

Based on the enablers, a community resilience framework was created to offer a RAG-type assessment for establishing the right balance of physical, procedural and social capital. It is a benchmarking tool that provides a guide for all communities when coping with adversity. It offers a set of outcomes that are likely to result in fewer deaths and less damage, and to create an environment more likely to rebound with a semblance of order and functionality: it may not be the same community as before, however, but it will be collectively wiser to meet the next challenge. It should be added that not all professionals agree that such a generic framework would be universally applicable, particularly as communities are so diverse, but it does provide a good start.

"What is clear from history is that community resilience needs to be inculcated and nurtured. It does or will not happen by accident or default."

One aspect of community resilience that is fundamental is the notion of people supporting one another through adversity in a community spirit. Strong social bonds and collective action based on relationships, trust and culture are fundamental. The spirit of Londoners in the wartime Blitz is a good example. A large-scale threat faced by all generated a collective response while strong leadership and solid information channels (e.g. the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ message) encouraged determination and robustness. Nights spent in underground shelters and the routine carriage of gas masks are activities that could not be envisaged at other times.

What is clear from history is that community resilience needs to be inculcated and nurtured. It does or will not happen by accident or default. Plans and systems need to be developed at both the national and local level so that communities and people are prepared and trained. The defunct post-war Civil Defence Organisation in the UK was an example of one such organisation that helped the population prepare for nuclear war. A similar organisation could be revitalised to meet major threats such as major terrorist atrocities and major natural disasters. It requires both the will and the resources, ideally created pre-emptively and involving co-operation across organisational silos.

As the New Zealand document acknowledges, businesses have a fundamental part to play in building community resilience. Commerce is often the glue in cities as commuters flood into urban centres on a daily basis – doubling the local population in some areas – and shopping malls thrive amongst high-rise office buildings. In the absence of any national or city resilience plan, businesses can take the lead in developing a local community environment and building social links. Such a move can only be good for business and reputations.

"Commerce is often the glue in cities as commuters flood into urban centres on a daily basis"

Yet, businesses need a plan based on both mitigation and adaptation. This can come through joint ventures and combined working practices, even if in a small way at the start. There are many organisations that represent the private sector in major conurbations and these should be promoting the call for community resilience in the modern age. Significantly, one former diplomat has recently suggested that ‘We must develop a highly public national resiliency programme.

And I can’t think of a western country better able to lead a resiliency campaign in the West than Britain.’

Robert Hall is director, Security & Resilience Network at business lobby group London First