An Analysis of Resilience Planning at the Nexus of Food, Energy, Water, and Transportation in Coastal US Cities

Examining urban resilience through a food-water-energy nexus lens to understand the effects of climate change

Urban centers located on the coast expose some of the most vulnerable populations to the effects of climate change. In addition to the challenges faced by high population densities and interdependent social-ecological systems, there is an increasing demand for resources. Exposing the pinch points that are already sensitive to extreme weather, highlights the urban systems that will be least resilient in the face of climate change. We map the projected changes in water availability onto the components of the food-water-energy Nexus at several spatial scales. Resilience thinking acknowledges the different spatial scales at which governance operates, resilience occurs, and Nexus systems function. We use a case study to illustrate how the effects of climate change at locations remote from the city could impact resilience of urban communities in multiple ways through cascading effects from the Nexus. This article underscores the need to examine resilience from multiple spatial and governance angles.

The application of resilience theory in urban development: a literature review

In the complex context of urbanization and climate change, how to improve the resilience of cities to deal with various uncertain and unpredictable threats is a new topic with both theoretical and practical challenges. In this paper, the researches on urban resilience are summarized using the bibliometric analysis combined with the visualization analysis. We provide a systematic and objective review of resilience applied to urban development focusing on its conceptual frameworks, research tendencies, and assessment methods. The analysis results demonstrate that an increasing attention has been given to urban resilience, especially in the field of climate change. The degree of research varies significantly in different countries, with the USA dominating in the number of publications, followed by the UK and China. Scholars' attention to urban resilience in different periods is closely related to the development background and disasters experienced by their countries, but there are also some commonalities. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional research on urban resilience has been recognized by many scholars. Quantitative assessment tools such as simulation model and optimization model have been widely used to assess the level of urban resilience. Based on this, we put forward the future research trends in this field and provide a potential guide for future application of urban resilience.

An Analysis of Resilience Planning at the Nexus of Food, Energy, Water, and Transportation in Coastal US Cities

Climate change poses increased risks to coastal communities and the interconnected infrastructure they rely on, including food, energy, water, and transportation (FEWT) systems. Most coastal communities in the US are ill-prepared to address these risks, and resilience planning is inconsistently prioritized and not federally mandated. This study examined the resilience plans of 11 coastal US cities to understand 1. How FEWT systems were considered within resilience plans and, 2. How nexus principles or elements critical to a nexus approach were incorporated within resilience plans. A “Nexus Index” was created to examine the incorporation of nexus principles, which included partnerships and collaborations, reference to other plans or reports, discussion of co-benefits, cascading impacts, and inclusion of interdisciplinary or cross-silo principles. These principles were used to score each action within the resilience plans. Results showed that only eight actions (1% of all actions across the 11 plans) focused on the connections among FEWT systems within the resilience plans. The transportation system was associated with the most actions, followed by the energy system, water system, and the food system. While FEWT systems were not consistently included, there was evidence from the Nexus Index that the plans included elements critical to a nexus approach, such as the inclusion of partnerships and reference to co-benefits with the actions they designed to build resilience. The heterogeneity among the systems that each plan emphasized reflects the heterogeneity among the challenges that each city faces. While context-specific differences in resilience plans across cities are expected, some consistency in addressing certain infrastructural needs and their nexus interactions may greatly benefit and improve the implementation of resilience planning.