Presentation by Nicola Bacon to Tai Pawb's annual conference in October 2014 on community resilience.

1. Building Resilient Communities
Tai Pawb Annual Conference
16th October 2014

2. Social Life’s aim is to put people at the heart of
placemaking, we work in the UK and
internationally.

3. Where are the people?

4. What makes a community?

5. The first question: what is a community?
Source: Egan Review 2004

6. An alternative view. What
about …
Physical boundaries to promote geographical
identity
Local myths & stories
Strong social relationships, networks & bonds
Rituals and rhythms
Shared belief systems, garden cities, new
towns, eco-cities
Visible leadership.

7. A framework for social sustainability

8. Understanding resilience

9. Resilience is the ability of a person,
group or community to adapt and
‘bounce back’ in the face of
adversity
More often used in discussions about
the environment or emergency
preparation
Increasing interest in social
resilience, for individuals and
communities
A central part of a social justice
agenda, focusing on strengths of
individuals and communities as well
as vulnerabilities.
What is resilience?

10. Survival resilience vs adaptive resilience

11. Chicago heatwave July 1995
A story of the protective powers of social relationships

12. Wellbeing Resilience
Wellbeing & resilience in Poplar

13. From Young Foundation “The Wellbeing and Resilience Paradox”

14. • Employed
• Have children
• Higher
education
• English not
first
language.
• Unemployed
• Lower levels of
education
• Likely to be
single,
divorced or
separated
• More men than
women.
• Unemployed
• Lower levels of
education
• Less likely to
have children
• More women
than men.
• Employed
• Have
children
• Higher
education
• Married or in
stable
relationship.
From Young Foundation “The Wellbeing and Resilience Paradox”

15. Structural
* Level of education
* Unemployed or long term sick or disabled
* Employed
Social
* Friends/family around for drink or meal
* Regularly stop and talk with people in my
neighborhood
Self
* Enjoy day-to-day activities
* Ability to face problems
* Regular savings
* Felt you could not overcome
difficulties
* Felt downhearted & depressed
* Subjective financial situation
What influences our resilience?

16. What does it look like in practice?

17. The Latin American community
in Elephant & Castle

21. Cressingham Gardens estate,
Tulse Hill

22. Our data showed that this well loved estate is
supporting vulnerable people to get by, and is
home to a relatively strong community in an
area where crime and isolation are common.

23. What can housing providers do?
Increasing poverty, and the impact of
austerity have undermined individuals’ and
communities’ resilience
Housing providers need to be sensitive to the
social ties that exist in communities
They need to work with other agencies to
recognise the value of what exists within
local areas, as well as tackling the problems
And to be open to different people’s views
about what they want to keep, as well as
what they want to change.

24. social-life.co
nicola.bacon@social-life.co
@SL_Cities