nach oben

Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning

Erschienen in:

01.08.2012 | Wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Vulnerability and Resilience in a Socio-Spatial Perspective

A Social-Scientific Approach

verfasst von: PD Dr. Gabriela B. Christmann, Prof. Dr. Oliver Ibert

Erschienen in: Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning | Ausgabe 4/2012

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config

KI-gestützte Suche

Aus

Abstract

This paper argues that the conceptions of “vulnerability” and “resilience”, which have been strongly influenced by ecology and natural hazards research, have been widely used in an essentialist manner. Thus, vulnerability is treated as the factual susceptibility and resilience as the factual adaptive capacity of systems, which are measurable by certain indicators. Although in the meantime social dimensions have received greater consideration than previously and although both notions have been transferred to a wider field of phenomena ranging from technology to economy and society, the conception of vulnerability and resilience still lacks the dimension of the social construction of reality that implies that actors may develop different perceptions of potential threats and of the precautionary measures that are to be adopted—even though the nature of an endangerment seems clear and proven. In this contribution we identify major conceptual desiderata and suggest a social science based conception of vulnerability and resilience addressing them. We take up ideas from social constructivism in the form pointed out in actor-network theory. We dissolve the tired dichotomy between social and material entities and instead emphasise that all kinds of entities have the same ontological status and thus interact directly with one another on the same level (‘flat ontology’). Against the background of a generic definition of governance, questions of agency in networks will be addressed. Based on a relational understanding of space, a spatial research perspective will be developed also taking into account the dimension of time. Finally the conception comprises an empirical strategy for investigating vulnerability and resilience.

Vorheriger Artikel Vulnerability and Resilience

Nächster Artikel Societal Aspects of Vulnerability to Natural Hazards

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

We thank Heiderose Kilper and Timothy Moss for the valuable ideas and comments that date back to our joint work on a more comprehensive working paper on vulnerability and resilience and with which they supported us in the drawing up of this paper (see Christmann/Ibert/Moss et al.2011). Thanks are also due to Jörn Birkmann for his suggestions on the working paper that also had consequences for the present paper.

Bürkner (2010) and Christmann/Ibert/Moss et al. (2011) provide a more comprehensive review of the literature on vulnerability and resilience and related concepts like risk, uncertainty and sustainability.

Fundamental and terminologically consistent social-scientific conceptions of risk and uncertainty can be found in Luhmann’s (1991) social-scientific system theory and in Knight’s (1921) decision-theoretical approach. The latter describes risk as a measurable uncertainty whereby the probability of the possible consequences of alternative actions can either be determineda priori through mathematical operations or ex post by evaluating past experiences. Luhmann (1991) in contrast sees danger as the counterpart to risk. Decisive here is the attribution of unwished consequences of action: are they attributed to the decision-making system itself (risk: I’m moving next door to a nuclear energy plant) or are they attributed to the environment of the system (danger: a nuclear energy plant is being built next to my house)? In this way a system cannot avoid producing risks for itself and dangers for its environment in the course of decision processes. Both approaches, however, have in common a view that the consequences of actions and decisions are fundamentally uncertain. Uncertainty is then, to a certain degree, the standard situation. Social action thus never occurs under fully determined conditions. An important criterium for social action should be seen in minimising contingences and dealing constructively with uncertainty (see further Böhle/Weihrich2009).

Discussion of this is found in Christmann/Ibert/Moss et al. (2011).

With regard to the dichotomy between social and non-social, “actor-network” theory formulates a pointed critique on the fundamental stance taken by all social-scientific approaches so far and proposes a radical rethink (see on this point the research desiderata discussed in Sect. 2). It is not in vain that actor-network theory with its relational and action-oriented understanding of social and other “actors” has had a significant influence on various relevant strands of debate—such as the transformation of socio-technical systems—, as recent literature shows (see Hommels2005; Coutard/Hanley/Zimmerman2005).

Adger, W. N. (2000): Social and ecological resilience: are they related? In: Progress in Human Geography 24, 3, 347–364.CrossRef

Adger, W. N. (2006): Vulnerability. In: Global Environmental Change 16, 3, 268–281.CrossRef

Anderies, J. M.; Janssen, M. A.; Ostrom, E. (2004): A framework to analyze the robustness of social-ecological systems from an institutional perspective. In: Ecology and Society 9, 1, 18. Online unter: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss1/art18 (letzter Zugriff am 15.02.2012).

Bankoff, G. (2007): The historical geography of disaster. ‘Vulnerability’ and ‘local knowledge’ in western discourse. In: Bankoff, G.; Frerks, G.; Hilhorst, D (Hrsg.): Mapping vulnerability. Disasters, development and people. London, Sterling, 25–36.

Bathelt, H.; Glückler, J. (2003): Toward a relational economic geography. In: Journal of Economic Geography 3, 2, 117–144.CrossRef

Beck, U. (1986): Risikogesellschaft—auf dem Weg in eine andere Moderne. Frankfurt am Main.

Berger, P. L.; Luckmann, T. (1969): Die gesellschaftliche Konstruktion der Wirklichkeit. Frankfurt am Main.

Berkes, F.; Colding, J.; Folke, C. (Hrsg.) (2003): Navigating social-ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge.

Birkmann, J. (2007): Risk and vulnerability indicators at different scales. Applicability, usefulness and policy implications. In: Environmental Hazards 7, 1, 20–31.CrossRef

Birkmann, J. (2008): Assessing vulnerability before, during and after a natural disaster in fragile regions. Bonn. = UNU-WIDER Research Paper No. 2008/50.

Birkmann, J.; Fernando, N. (2008): Measuring revealed and emergent vulnerabilities of coastal communities to tsunami in Sri Lanka. In: Disasters 32, 1, 82–105.CrossRef

Birkmann, J.; Böhm, H. R.; Buchholz, F.; Büscher, D.; Daschkeit, A.; Ebert, S.; Fleischhauer, M.; Frommer, B.; Köhler, S.; Kufeld, W.; Lenz, S.; Overbeck, G.; Schanze, J.; Schlipf, S.; Sommerfeldt, P.; Stock, M.; Vollmer, M.; Walkenhorst, O. (2011): Glossar Klimawandel und Raumentwicklung. Hannover. = E-Paper der ARL, Nr. 10.

Blaikie, P.; Cannon, T.; Davis, I.; Wisner, B. (1994): At risk. Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability, and disaster. London, New York.

Böhle, F.; Weihrich, M. (Hrsg.) (2009): Handeln unter Unsicherheit. Wiesbaden.

Bohle, H.-G. (2002): Vulnerability. Editorial to the Special Issue. In: Geographica Helvetica 57, 1, 2–4.

Bohle, H.-G. (2005): Soziales oder unsoziales Kapital? Das Konzept von Sozialkapital in der Geographischen Verwundbarkeitsforschung. In: Geographische Zeitschrift 93, 2, 65–81.

Bohle, H.-G.; Downing, T. E.; Watts, M. J. (1994): Climate change and social vulnerability. Toward a sociology and geography of food insecurity. In: Global Environmental Change 4, 1, 37–48.CrossRef

Brand, F. S.; Jax, K. (2007): Focusing the meaning(s) of resilience: Resilience as a descriptive concept and a boundary object. In: Ecology and Society 12, 1, 23.

Bürkner, H.-J. (2010): Vulnerabilität und Resilienz—Forschungsstand und sozialwissenschaftliche Untersuchungsperspektiven. Erkner. = IRS-Working Paper, No. 43. Online unter:http://www.irs-net.de/download/wp_vr.pdf (letzter Zugriff am 23.02.2012).

Callon, M. (1986): Some elements of a sociology of translation: domestication of the scallops and the fishermen of St Brieuc Bay. In: Law, J. (Hrsg.): Power, action and belief: A new sociology of knowledge? London, Boston, Henley, 196–233.

Christmann, G. B. (2010): Kommunikative Raumkonstruktionen als (Proto-) Governance. In: Kilper, H. (Hrsg.): Governance und Raum. Baden-Baden, 27–48.

Christmann, G. B.; Ibert, O.; Moss, T.; Kilper H. (2011): Vulnerabilität und Resilienz in sozio-räumlicher Perspektive. Begriffliche Klärungen und theoretischer Rahmen. Erkner. = IRS-Working Paper, No. 44. Online unter: http://www.irs-net.de/download/wp_vulnerabilitaet.pdf (letzter Zugriff am 15.02.2012).

Coaffee, J.; Wood, D. (2006): The ‘everyday’ resilience of the city. In: Browning, C. (Hrsg.): Human security and resilience. Birmingham, 6–8. = ISP/NSC Briefing Paper 06/01.

Coaffee, J.; Wood, D.; Rogers, P. (2008): The everyday resilience of the city. How cities respond to terrorism and disaster (New Security Challenges). London.

Coutard, O.; Hanley, R. E.; Zimmerman, R. (Hrsg.) (2005): Sustaining urban networks. The social diffusion of large technical systems. Oxford.

Cutter, S. L.; Finch, C. (2008): Temporal and spatial changes in social vulnerability to natural hazards. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105, 7, 2301–2306.

Deffner, V. (2007): Soziale Verwundbarkeit im ‚Risikoraum Favela’—Eine Analyse des sozialen Raumes auf der Grundlage von Bourdieus „Theorie der Praxis“. In: Wehrhahn, R. (Hrsg.): Risiko und Vulnerabilität in Lateinamerika. Kiel, 207–232. = Kieler Geographische Schriften, Band 117.

Delanda, M. (2005): Intensive science and virtual philosophy. London.

Delica-Willison, Z.; Willison, R. (2007): Vulnerability reduction. A task for the vulnerable people themselves. In: Bankoff, G.; Frerks, G.; Hilhorst, D (Hrsg.): Mapping vulnerability. Disasters, development and people. London, Sterling, 145–158.

Dietz, K. (2006): Vulnerabilität und Anpassung in der Klima- und Entwicklungspolitik. Berlin. = Diskussionspapier 01/06 des Projektes „Global Governance und Klimawandel“ an der Freien Universität Berlin.

Dolata, U.; Werle, R. (2007): “Bringing technology back in”: Technik als Einflussfaktor sozioökonomischen und institutionellen Wandels. In: Dolata, U.; Werle, R. (Hrsg.): Gesellschaft und die Macht der Technik. Sozioökonomischer und institutioneller Wandel durch Technisierung. Frankfurt am Main, New York, 15–43.

Eriksen, S. (2004): Building adaptive capacity in a ‘glocal’ world. Examples from Europe and Africa. In: ESS Bulletin 2, 2, 18–26.

Evers, A.; Nowotny, H. (1987): Über den Umgang mit Unsicherheit. Die Entdeckung der Gestaltbarkeit von Gesellschaft. Frankfurt am Main.

Felgentreff, C.; Glade, T. (Hrsg.) (2008): Naturrisiken und Sozialkatastrophen. München.

Fischer-Kowalski, M.; Erb, K. (2003): Gesellschaftlicher Stoffwechsel im Raum. Auf der Suche nach einem sozialwissenschaftlichen Zugang zur biophysischen Realität. In: Meusburger, P.; Schwan, T (Hrsg.): Humanökologie. Ansätze zur Überwindung der Natur-Kultur-Dichotomie. Stuttgart, 257–285.

Folke, C. (2006): Resilience: The emergence of a perspective for social-ecological system analyses. In: Global Environmental Change 16, 3, 253–267.CrossRef

Görg, C. (1999): Gesellschaftliche Naturverhältnisse. Münster.

Greiving, S. (2002): Räumliche Planung und Risiko. München.

Heijmans, A. (2007): From vulnerability to empowerment. In: Bankoff, G.; Frerks, G.; Hilhorst, D (Hrsg.): Mapping vulnerability. Disasters, development and people. London, Sterling, 115–127.

Hodson, M.; Marvin, S. (2008): ‘Urban ecological security’. A new urban paradigm? In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 33, 1, 193–215.CrossRef

Holling, C. S. (1973): Resilience and stability of ecological systems. In: Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 4, 1–23.CrossRef

Hommels, A. (2005): Unbuilding cities. Obduracy in urban sociotechnical change. Cambridge, MA, London.

Hughes, T. P. (1983): Networks of power. Electrification in western society 1880–1930. Baltimore, London.

Janssen, M. A.; Ostrom, E. (2006): Resilience, vulnerability, and adaptation: A cross-cutting theme of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change. In: Global Environmental Change 16, 3, 237–239.CrossRef

Japp, K. (1996): Soziologische Risikotheorie. Funktionale Differenzierung, Politisierung und Reflexion. Weinheim.

Jessop, B.; Ngai-Ling, S. (2006): Beyond the regulation approach: putting capitalist economies in their place. Cheltenham.

Knight, F. (1921): Risk, uncertainty and profit. Chicago.

Knorr-Cetina, K. (1981): The manufacture of knowledge. Oxford.

Kraas, F.; Mertins, G. (2008): Megastädte in Entwicklungsländern. Vulnerabilität, Informalität, Regier- und Steuerbarkeit. In: Geographische Rundschau 60, 11, 4–10.

Kusenbach, M.; Simms, J. L.; Tobin, G. A. (2010): Disaster vulnerability and evacuation readiness. Coastal mobile home residents in Florida. In: Natural Hazards 52, 1, 79–95.CrossRef

Latour, B. (1987): Science in action: How to follow scientists and engineers through society. Cambridge.

Latour, B. (2005): Reassembling the social. An introduction into actor-network theory. Oxford.

Latour, B.; Woolgar, S. (1979): Laboratory life. The social construction of scientific facts. London.

Law, J. (1986): On the methods of long-distance control: vessels, navigation and the Portuguese route to India. In: Law, J. (Hrsg.): Power, action and belief. A new sociology of knowledge? London, Boston, Henley, 234–263.

Law, J. (1992): Notes on the theory of the actor-network: ordering, strategy and heterogeneity. In: Systemic Practice and Action Research 5, 4, 379–393.

Law, J. (2002): Objects and spaces. In: Theory, Culture and Society 19, 5–6, 91–105.CrossRef

Law, J.; Mol, A. (2001): Situating technoscience: an inquiry into spatialities. In: Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 19, 5, 609–621.CrossRef

Luhmann, N. (1991): Soziologie des Risikos. Berlin, New York.

Massey, D. (2005): For space. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi.

Mayntz, R. (1993): Große technische Systeme und ihre gesellschaftstheoretische Bedeutung. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 45, 1, 97–108.

Mayntz, R. (2010): Global structures: markets, organizations, networks—and communities? In: Djelic, M.-L.; Quack, S (Hrsg.): Transnational communities: shaping global economic governance. Cambridge, 37–54.

Medd, W.; Marvin, S. (2005): From the politics of urgency to the governance of preparedness: A research agenda on urban vulnerability. In: Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 13, 2, 44–49.CrossRef

Melosi, M. (2000): The sanitary city. Urban infrastructure in America from colonial times to the present. Baltimore, London.

Mol, A.; Law, J. (1994): Regions, networks and fluids: anaemia and social topology. In: Social Studies of Science 24, 4, 641–671.CrossRef

Morrow, B. H. (2008): Community resilience. A social justice perspective. Miami. = CARRI Research Report, No. 4.

Moss, T. (2009): Models of socio-technical change and the politics of urban infrastructure: Managing energy in Berlin between dictatorship and democracy (unveröffentlichtes Manuskript).

Murdoch, J. (1998): The spaces of actor-network theory. In: Geoforum 29, 4, 357–374.CrossRef

O’Brian, K.; Eriksen, S.; Nygaard, L. P.; Schjolden, A. (2007): Why different interpretations of vulnerability matter in climate change discourses. In: Climate Policy 7, 1, 73–88.CrossRef

Obrist, B. (2006): Struggling for health in the city. An anthropological inquiry of health, vulnerability and resilience in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Bern.

Oliver-Smith, A. (2007): Theorizing vulnerability in a globalized world. A political ecological perspective. In: Bankoff, G.; Frerks, G.; Hilhorst, D (Hrsg.): Mapping vulnerability. Disasters, development and people. London, Sterling, 10–24.

Pelling, M. (2003): The vulnerability of cities: Natural desasters and social resilience. London.

Pfeiffer, K. (1929): Untersuchungen über die Resilienz der durch die Prothesen beanspruchten Gewebe und ihre Bedeutung für die Okklusion der Prothesen. Zürich.

Prowse, M. (2003): Towards a clearer understanding of ‚vulnerability’ in relation to chronic poverty. Manchester. = CPRC Working Paper, No. 24.

Rittel, H.; Webber, M. (1973): Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. In: Policy Sciences 4, 155–169.CrossRef

Schott, D. (2010): Resilienz oder Niedergang? Zur Bedeutung von Naturkatastrophen für Städte in der Neuzeit (unveröffentlichtes Manuskript).

Schütz, A. (1953): Common sense and scientific interpretation of human action. In: Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 14, 1, 1–37.CrossRef

Star, S. L. (1999): The ethnography of infrastructure. In: American Behavioral Scientist 43, 3, 377–391.CrossRef

Stock, M.; Kropp, J. P.; Walkenhorst, O. (2009): Risiken, Vulnerabilität und Anpassungserfordernisse für klimaverletzliche Regionen. In: Raumforschung und Raumordnung 67, 2, 97–113.CrossRef

Summerton, J. (1994): Introductory essay: The systems approach to technological change. In: Summerton, J. (Hrsg.): Changing large technical systems. Boulder, 1–21.

Voss, M. (2008): The vulnerable can’t speak. An integrative vulnerability approach to disaster and climate change research. In: Behemoth. A Journal on Civilisation 1, 3, 39–71.CrossRef

Voss, M. (2010): Einleitung: Perspektiven sozialwissenschaftlicher Klimawandelforschung. In: Voss, M. (Hrsg.): Der Klimawandel. Sozialwissenschaftliche Perspektiven. Wiesbaden, 9–40.

Walker, B.; Holling, C. S.; Carpenter, S. R.; Kinzig, A. (2004): Resilience, adaptability and transformability in social-ecological systems. In: Ecology and Society 9, 2, 5. Online unter: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss2/art5 (letzter Zugriff am 15.02.2012).

Walker, B.; Gunderson, L.; Kinzig, A.; Folke, C.; Carpenter, S.; Schultz, L. (2006): A handful of heuristics and some propositions for understanding resilience in social-ecological systems. In: Ecology and Society 11, 1, 13. Online unter: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art13 (letzter Zugriff am 23.02.2012).

Watts, M.; Bohle, H.-G. (1993): The space of vulnerability: The causal structure of hunger and famine. In: Progress in Human Geography 17, 1, 43–67.CrossRef

Weichhart, P. (2003): Gesellschaftlicher Metabolismus und Action Settings. Die Verknüpfung von Sach- und Sozialstrukturen im alltagsweltlichen Handeln. In: Meusburger, P.; Schwan, T (Hrsg.): Humanökologie. Ansätze zur Überwindung der Natur-Kultur-Dichotomie. Stuttgart, 15–42.

Welter-Enderlin, R.; Hildenbrand, B. (Hrsg.) (2008): Resilienz. Gedeihen trotz widriger Umstände. Heidelberg.

Werner, E. E. (1995): Resilience in development. In: Current Directions in Psychological Science 4, 81–85.CrossRef

Whittle, R.; Medd, W.; Deeming, H.; Kashefi, E.; Mort, M.; Twigger-Ross, C.; Walker, G.; Watson, N. (2010): After the rain—learning the lessons from flood recovery in hull. Final project report for ‘flood, vulnerability and urban resilience: a real-time study of local recovery following the floods of June 2007 in Hull’. Lancaster. Online unter: http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/cswm/hfp (letzter Zugriff am 15.02.2012).

Wisner, B.; Blaikie, P.; Cannon, T.; Davis, I. (2004): At risk. Natural hazards, peoples’s vulnerability and disasters. London.

Wustmann, C. (2004): Resilienz. Widerstandsfähigkeit von Kindern in Tageseinrichtungen fördern. Weinheim.

Yeung, H. W. (2005): Rethinking relational economic geography. In: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 30, 1, 37–51.CrossRef

Young, O. R. (2010): Institutional dynamics: Resilience, vulnerability and adaptation in environmental and resource regimes. In: Global Environmental Change 20, 3, 378–385.CrossRef

Zander, M. (2009): Armes Kind—starkes Kind? Die Chance der Resilienz. Wiesbaden.

Titel: Vulnerability and Resilience in a Socio-Spatial Perspective
A Social-Scientific Approach
verfasst von: PD Dr. Gabriela B. Christmann
Prof. Dr. Oliver Ibert
Publikationsdatum: 01.08.2012
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in: Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning / Ausgabe 4/2012
Print ISSN: 0034-0111
Elektronische ISSN: 1869-4179
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13147-012-0171-1

Springer Professional

Abstract

Bitte loggen Sie sich ein, um Zugang zu Ihrer Lizenz zu erhalten.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 4/2012

Stigmatisation of Cities. The Vulnerability of Local Identities

Vulnerability and Resilience

Societal Aspects of Vulnerability to Natural Hazards

Acting on Multiple Stages

Resource Efficiency of Settlement Structures: Terms, Conceptual Implications and Connecting Factors to the Resilience Debate

Regional Structural Change and Resilience