Narratives of vulnerability and resilience: An investigation of the climate action plans of New York City and Copenhagen

This paper by Dahdaleh Institute Research Fellow Chiara Camponeschi, argues that the rise of a global mainstream resilience narrative is advancing a strategically simplified concept of vulnerability that is being exploited to open up lucrative new opportunities for profit. In particular, it presents three ways in which mainstream narratives are currently masking–if not exacerbating–the vulnerability of residents in New York City and Copenhagen. First, it explores how a technocratic orientation to community engagement is affecting local perceptions of participatory processes such as planning consultations and visioning exercises. Next, it investigates how the pursuit of an ‘infrastructure-first’ approach to interventions and a reputation for eco-innovation is creating tensions between institutional and local experiences of resilience. Lastly, it discusses some of the ways in which simplistic understandings of vulnerability are leading to adverse outcomes–such as eco-gentrification and displacement–that are making local communities more, not less, vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It concludes by arguing that the meaningful integration of diverse perspectives and values is integral to the process of giving rise to more critical and expansive narratives of resilience.

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