Very interesting question.

In my recent study, "the Æurosphere Hypothesis" — an approach — I'm trying to face the problem of regional districts' resilience both in a physical key and genetic organizational. This is my url : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257441183_urosphere_Ecological._How_Science_of_Networks_Information_Dynamics_and_Connectivism_could_help_Politics_to_be_more_inclusive_transparent_equitable_for_people_incorporating_Culture_and_different_disciplines_in_the_progressive_stages_of_decision_making?ev=prf_pub

I'll follow with high interest your thread, Kalliopi, looking forward for expert contributions.

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Conference Paper Æurosphere Ecological. How Science of Networks, Information ...

I found some materials, but may be it is not relevant::

Family Resilience: A framework for clinical practice

Froma Walsh

Family Process: Spring 2003:42, 1; ProQuest Psychology Journals

Kohut, H. [1971]. The analysis of the self. New York: International Universities Press.

Kohut, H. [1977]. The restoration of the self. New York: International Universities Press.

Kohut, H. [1978]. The psychoanalyst in the community of Scholares. In P. Orenstein [Ed.], The search for the self [pp. 687-724]. New York: International Universities Press. [original work published 1973].

I am unfamiliar with research on resilience, but i would believe that research on social cohesion, collective action and similar in relation to crime/disorder should have some applicability, and if so then there is a fairly large discussion within the field of criminology/urban sociology regarding the spatial dimensions at work.

Relevant examples may for instance be "Smaller is Better" by Oberwittler & Wikström (2009), arguing that cohesion is better measured on small scale (n=300 residents on average) units of geography rather than larger ones. I have a paper submitted (and also some of it in Swedish in a report i have on my profile here) where i explore the same question based on focus group and key informant interviews concluding that people in studied neighborhoods only really feel cohesion with their closest neighbors. On a more theoretical note Taylor (1989; 1997) discusses socio-ecological aspects of the same issue trying to tie streetblock and neighborhood together, and more recently Hipp (2010; & Boessen 2013; and much more) have written interesting stuff.

Our work on social resilience in communities suffering chronic disadvantage indicates that a spatial dimension is important in fostering social resilience. (See attached for example).

Article Social resilience: Challenging neo-colonial thinking and pra...

Sorry for going slightly off-topic, but do you mean then Frank Popper that resilience should be considered in terms of ability to "be ok" rather than the more relative (to dangers posed) ability to "cope with challenges"? As mentioned in my previous post i lack understanding of the concept resilience - but i always imagined it was more about ability to cope with difficult problems rather than not having any problems to begin with?

Frank, thank you for your constructive answer: Yes indeed, proximity to a hazard factor and high level relevant awareness or risk experience have an impact on resilience. However, this is not something that can be regulated through spatial planning. Neither can we decide on spatial planning solutions that increase risks or encourage proximity to risks so as to enhance resilience development. Actually I am looking for spatial planning directions enhancing resilience generation and sustainance. In the case of sustainability for instance, it is widely acknowledged that the compact city enhances environmental sustainability. Besides we know the reasons of this positive connection. What I am suggesting is that In the case of resilience we cannot find an undoubtedly positive connection between this property and specific spatial planning patterns/norms. To my view the root of this problem lies at the multi-faceted and variable nature of resilience, e.g resilience to a hazard today may translate into vulnerablity to another hazard in the long-term.

Very good research by Serge Salat of the "Urban Morphology Lab" on urban design and its relationship to urban resilience, see his book "Cities and Forms".

"The compact city enhances environmental sustainability."

This is the same thesis argued in S. Brand: "Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto" — Viking Penguin (2009) ISBN: 978-0-670-02121-5.

Brand's arguments are dense and intriguing.

Nevertheless, I'm not convinced at all that this "compacting" [resources and activities, as much as possible, in an less dilated area] could be a solution.

Say, not according to Brand's vision, so absolute and - imho - coarse.

For example, I am convinced that the mechanisms of "vertical farming" is to be supported and advocated. On the contrary, I firmly believe that a network between small size urban districts, scattered along dilated territories, is more sustainable.

Ok colleagues, positive connection even between compact city and environmental sustainability is doubtful. However, I would like to turn again to the issue of resilience and how much possible is for public policy (particularly spatial planning policy) to boost resilience. To my view to answer this question we should first clarify our objective. What are we up to? Enhancement of resilience of everybody in the community? Or, enhancement of resilience of the community as a whole? Are these objectives compatible with each other? To my view, no they are not, because numerous individual and collective agents in the community are struggling against each other for resilience resources (especially in recovery periods). This has been documented in an exemplary way by D.Davis (2005) in her chapter “Reverberations – Mexico City’s 1985 Earthquake and the Transformation of the Capital”, in the book "The Resilient City" by L. J. Vale and T.J. Campanella (eds.), Oxford University Press.

We are just beginning to assemble a spatially explicit framework for vacant and underutilized lands that would use this concept of resilience as one of the key elements to assess the suitability of land for reuse as green infrastructure. Sea level rise models, flood plains, and food deserts are some of the factors we are considering.

Popi, do you remember my presentation in ENSURE - Paris. It was about Istanbul. I think that we cannot explain resilience using the static features of urban area. So, if we consider resilience as a dynamic concept, we should focus on the fonctionality of urban area. But this does not mean solely the transportation system, it covers (e.i) health facilities system, educational facility system and their redundancy.

Yes, redunduncy. But this is a very restricted option of resilience. Besides, redundancy is basically an organizational measure referring to internal organization of individual facilities and does not concern spatial planning. If redundancy refers to spatially arranged urban systems and networks, then redundancy is not an easily realizable spatial planning measure as it contradicts other crucial principles such as those of sustainability. On top of that redundancy in this sense necessitates affluent resources which are not always available even for first range welfare facilities

What do you mean redundancy capability on multiple floors? This is again about redundant resources, which means availability of surplus of resources (e.g. surplus of land, construction materials, economic resources etc). To my view resilience is much more than that: Self -restructuring, self-transformation, self-reorganization in face of a threat by taking advantage of available and minimal resources. Resilience means innovating toward maintance and survival. It may be the case that a community while being equipped with redundancies it is not resilient because the community has not got the "intelligence" to take advantage of these redundancies.

Spatial resilience: integrating landscape ecology, resilience, and sustainability

Graeme S. Cumming Landscape Ecol (2011) 26:899–909 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10980-011-9623-1#page-1

it is a landscape ecology paper but is interesting for the underlying conceptual basis and maybe useful?

It is an important point about scale, individual, household, community etc.

With resilience to disasters another point is that it can be different during an event and recovering from an event at each spatial scale.

Dear Kalliopi Sapountzaki,

Social resilience has exactly a spatial dimension in Israel! You can find many researches in this field, e.g., the problems of territories with a mixed population of Arabs and Jews.

This looks like promoting integration or inclusion of social capital in physical urban planning.

Kalliopi, employing Lefebvre’s production of space scheme and the regulation school approach provides another way to look at social resilience from a spatial characteristics and dynamics perspective.

Karplus and Meir (2014) From congruent to non-congruent spaces: Dynamics of Bedouin production of space in Israel, Geoforum 52:180–192

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718514000190

Social resilience always has a spatial dimension, especially when we consider the marginal communities in fragile ecological zones. Responses to challenges/ disasters are construed by the adaptability of the particular community in a given spatial context and a given moment of time. Please note that social resilience is not a 'one size fit all' concept.

Sapountzaki:

Unfortunately, we still have significant work on the subject to indicate you. But, I believe that the social resilience has economic, geographic and social dimensions and, consequently, the spatial dimension. Therefore, their observation and evaluation requires the understanding of various disciplines and their analysis in various levels. Because, social resilience is defined at the level of community, being a phenomenon that belongs to individuals as it related to the share capital of companies and communities.

Sharing, as food- for- thought, the spatial embodiment of social resilience...Central to the degree of embodiment is the index for congruence between the spatial and social realms.If space is to mirror social dynamics, there is a pressing need to explain the socio-ecological connections.

Conference Paper Congruent spaces: indexing spatial infusions for urban desti...

Article Probing the interfaces between the social sciences and socia...