A participatory planning approach for identifying crucial urban functions and their interdependencies for disaster recovery

Recovery planning is essential to ensure that communities build back better after a natural hazard event and ensure their long-term resilience. Involving stakeholders in recovery planning not only facilitates the accurate identification of recovery needs but also ensures the integration of a variety of viewpoints into recovery plans. Neglecting the varied perspectives arising from diverse stakeholder groups in urban areas when defining recovery objectives can lead to worsening inequality within the community.

Participatory planning acknowledged as a time-consuming process, stands in contrast to the timely interventions often demanded during post-disaster recovery. This urgency may potentially compromise both the effectiveness and equity of the participatory planning process. For this reason, it is essential to involve stakeholders and convince them to think about recovery plans before a disaster occurs, through participatory processes.

This study focuses on involving stakeholders in pre-disaster recovery planning for the identification of crucial urban functions for disaster recovery and their interdependencies. Local stakeholders have an in-depth knowledge of their urban system and are able to effectively convey the importance and interdependencies among various urban functions. Consequently, they can contribute to identifying the key urban elements that must remain functional after a disaster to ensure the initiation and progression of the recovery process.

The study employs a two-stage methodology. The first stage allows the delineation of the research objectives and the development of a participatory planning framework by means of focus groups and literature review. Initially, a focus group was conducted involving disaster risk management experts and mayors from various parts of Europe. Subsequently, a literature review has been undertaken based on the focus group findings to consolidate and refine the identified framework. The obtained framework includes 44 urban ‘functions’ divided into 6 different ‘resources’, which are required for the initiation and progression of the recovery process.

The second stage, which represents the core of this research, encompasses the application of Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM). The framework developed in the first stage is used as input to engage local stakeholders in determining the most crucial functions and their interdependencies inside the urban system through the FCM approach. The FCM has been implemented in the city of Sanremo, in the western part of Liguria Region, Italy. A group of participants, representing different sectors, created their individual cognitive maps. The individual maps have been then aggregated into a single map, which has been analyzed through the perspectives of voting mechanisms and network analysis to determine the most important and impactful urban functions and their interdependencies that contribute to recovery in their municipality. As a result, beyond the functions designated as emergency service providers crucial for the response phase after a disaster, a set of functions essential for sustaining community livelihoods such as grocery stores, supermarkets, educational services, and pharmacies have been identified. Notably, these functions are centered around the temporary sheltering function, marking it as a pivotal element from the stakeholders' perspective in the recovery process.