Disaster Science for Sustainability Transition

The Disaster Science for Sustainability Transition (DS4ST) initiative is faculty-led designed to forward the integration of disaster risk management and sustainability transformation through a program of education, transdisciplinary research, and community engagement.

Vision

The Disaster Science for Sustainability Transitions initiative envisions a world in which extremes and shocks to our social, environmental and technical systems are appropriately anticipated as part of ongoing efforts to improve the sustainability of our society; the potential for social and environmental harm of such events is substantially mitigated through deep, socially engaged investments in enhanced societal resilience; and the response and recovery from such events are viewed as opportunities for accelerated sustainable transformation.

Affiliated Faculty

Mission

The Disaster Science for Sustainability Transitions initiative conducts research and educates students and professionals in linking short-term emergency management with long-term risk-informed sustainable development to transform our future.

Related Projects and Activities

Gilbertson, P., Brundiers, K., & B. Kay (2019). A Community Resilience Approach to Emergency Management. Report prepared for the City of Tempe, AZ, USA.

Related Courses

CPP 510 Hazards Governance

CPP 511 Hazard Mitigation Planning

SOS 591 Adaptation, Resilience, Transformation

[more forthcoming]

Students

The faculty affiliated with DS4ST welcome the involvement of students. Each affiliated faculty is potentially available to mentor graduate and undergraduate students on topics related to the mission and vision of our initiative. Projects undertaken in this initiative may also provide opportunities for student research assistants. Please contact one of the affiliated faculty if you would like to be involved.

Related publications

Brundiers, K. (2018). Educating for post-disaster sustainability efforts. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 27: 406-414.

Brundiers, K. (2018). Disasters as opportunities for sustainability – the case of Christchurch, New Zealand. Sustainability Science, 13(4): 1075–1091.

Brundiers, K. (2020). Leveraging Disasters for Sustainable Development, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 62(1): 15-27.

Brundiers, K. and Eakin, H. C. (2018). Leveraging Post-Disaster Windows of Opportunities for Change towards Sustainability: A Framework. Sustainability 10(5): 1390

Cutter, S. L. and M. Gall (2015). Sendai Targets at Risk. Nature Climate Change 5(8): 707-709.

Eakin, H., Shelton, R., Baeza, A., Bojórquez-Tapia, L.A., Flores, S., Parajuli, J., Grave, I., Estrada Barón, A., and Hernández, B. (2020) Expressions of collective grievance as a feedback in multi-actor adaptation to water risks in Mexico City. Regional Environmental Change 20:17.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-020-01588-8

Eakin, H., Shelton, R., Siqueiros-Garcia, J.M., Charli-Joseph, L., and Manuel-Navarrete, D. (2019) Loss and social-ecological transformation: pathways of change in Xochimilco, Mexico. Ecology and Society. 24(3): 15 https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11030-240315.

Eakin, H., Siqueiros-García J.M., Hernández-Aguilar B., Shelton R., and Bojórquez-Tapia, L.A. (2019) Mental Models, Meta-Narratives, and Solution Pathways Associated With Socio-Hydrological Risk and Response in Mexico City. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 1:4.

Eakin, H., Muñoz-Erickson, T. A., and Lemos, M. C. (2018). Critical Lines of Action for Vulnerability and Resilience Research and Practice: Lessons from the 2017 Hurricane Season. Journal of Extreme Events 05(02n03), 1850015. doi:10.1142/s234573761850015x

Eakin, H., Bojorquez-Tapia, L. A., Janssen, M. A., Georgescu, M., Manuel-Navarrete, D., Vivoni, E. R., Escalante, A.E., Baeza-Castro, A., Mazari-Hiriart, M., and Lerner, A.M. (2017). Opinion: Urban resilience efforts must consider social and political forces. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114(2): 186-189. doi:10.1073/pnas.1620081114

Gall, M. (2019). Loss reduction and sustainability. In: From Disaster to Catastrophe: U.S. Emergency Management in the 21st Century, edited by C. Rubin and S.L. Cutter. New York, NY: Routledge: 209-232.

Gall, M. (2015). The Suitability of Disaster Loss Databases to Measure Loss and Damage from Climate Change. International Journal of Global Warming 8(2): 170-190.

Gall, M. and C. J. Friedland (2020). If Mitigation Saves $6 Per Every $1 Spent, Then Why Are We Not Investing More? A Louisiana Perspective on a National Issue. Natural Hazards Review 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000342

Gall, M., K. H. Nguyen, and S. L. Cutter (2015). Integrated research on disaster risk: Is it really integrated? International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 12 (June): 255-267. DOI:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.01.010.

Holladay, P., Mendez-Lazaro, P., Marin Centeno, H., Rivera-Gutierrez, R., Adams, K., and Brundiers, K. (2019). Utuado, Puerto Rico and community resilience post-Hurricane Maria: the case of Tetuan Reborn. Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in Public Health, 3: 5-16.

Kittipongvises, S, Phetrak, A., Rattanpun, P., Brundiers, K., Buizer, J. L., and Melnick, R. (2020). AHP-GIS analysis for flood hazard assessment of the communities nearby the world heritage site on Ayutthaya Island, Thailand. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 48: 101612.

Scoones, I., Stirling, A., Abrol, D., Atela, J., Charli-Joseph*, L., Eakin, H., Ely, A., Olsson, P., Pereira, L., and Priya, R. (2020) Transformations to sustainability: combining structural, systemic and enabling approaches. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 42: 65-75. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.cosust.2019.12.004