Reflective questions on the resilience of people, place and systems

Overview

This checklist of questions can be used during stage three of the risk-informed development planning process. It can be used together with the relationship mapping exercise.

Communities

• Can people access information about specific hazards that habitats are vulnerable to?
• Are they aware of personal safety measures to be taken for each type of hazard event?
• Are they aware about housing and necessary structural safety to the hazard? 
• Do they know if their homes fall in hazard zones?

Financial security

Consider the financial security of: 

• Families via employment or livelihood security
• Families via social security schemes
• Micro and small-scale industries via schemes and support mechanisms 

Specific groups and individuals

• Are the special needs of vulnerable groups addressed by community organisations, local governments or other decision makers (e.g. persons with disabilities, economically marginalised, socially marginalised, elderly, women and children – especially orphans)?  
• Are there special directives to improve the resilience of these special groups?
• Are formal development plans sensitive to the special needs of marginalised and vulnerable groups?

Health of natural environment

• Are natural environments in and around the community polluted, fragmented or degrading? Are they near pristine?
• Does urbanisation, agriculture and real estate cause conversion of natural landscapes?
• Are communities benefiting from the natural resources in the area? Are livelihoods dependent on these natural resources secure?

Local government

• Do local government units support communities with response-rehabilitate-recover-rebuild mechanisms?

Local development plans

Do the local area development plans and local government institutions:

• Identify local vulnerable and hazard prone areas in the locality?
• Take up mitigative measures to address these physical risks? 
• Invest and support in establishing mechanisms to strengthen local responses to emergencies?
• Review the vulnerability of place, people and systems and propose measures to mitigate and re-adapt to new risks?
• Have contingency plans which are reviewed and revised regularly with evolving risks?

Accountability

• Transparency and accessibility to information about government spending and use of public funds

Financial support

• Are financial or livelihood support schemes by the local government units and national governments available for the marginalised groups and communities?

Infrastructure

• Are basic infrastructure facilities available and provided by the government (e.g. coverage of water supply, sewage and drainage infrastructure – especially if in cities; access to community amenities)?

View the complete Risk-Informed Development Guide

This resource is taken from our Risk-Informed Development Guide, which provides a comprehensive stage-by-stage approach to working with communities most at risk.