IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v8y2016i9p844-d76820.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Avoiding Decline: Fostering Resilience and Sustainability in Midsize Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Craig R. Allen

    (U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA)

  • Hannah E. Birge

    (Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA)

  • Shannon Bartelt-Hunt

    (Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA)

  • Rebecca A. Bevans

    (Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA)

  • Jessica L. Burnett

    (Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA)

  • Barbara A. Cosens

    (College of Law, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA)

  • Ximing Cai

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Ahjond S. Garmestani

    (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA)

  • Igor Linkov

    (United States Army Corps of Engineer, Engineer Research and Development Center, Concord, MA 01742, USA)

  • Elizabeth A. Scott

    (Urban Design Center, University of Idaho, Boise, ID 83702, USA)

  • Mark D. Solomon

    (Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA)

  • Daniel R. Uden

    (Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA)

Abstract

Eighty-five percent of United States citizens live in urban areas. However, research surrounding the resilience and sustainability of complex urban systems focuses largely on coastal megacities (>1 million people). Midsize cities differ from their larger counterparts due to tight urban-rural feedbacks with their immediate natural environments that result from heavy reliance and close management of local ecosystem services. They also may be less path-dependent than larger cities due to shorter average connection length among system components, contributing to higher responsiveness among social, infrastructural, and ecological feedbacks. These distinct midsize city features call for a framework that organizes information and concepts concerning the sustainability of midsize cities specifically. We argue that an integrative approach is necessary to capture properties emergent from the complex interactions of the social, infrastructural, and ecological subsystems that comprise a city system. We suggest approaches to estimate the relative resilience of midsize cities, and include an example assessment to illustrate one such estimation approach. Resilience assessments of a midsize city can be used to examine why some cities end up on sustainable paths while others diverge to unsustainable paths, and which feedbacks may be partially responsible. They also provide insight into how city planners and decision makers can use information about the resilience of midsize cities undergoing growth or shrinkage relative to their larger and smaller counterparts, to transform them into long-term, sustainable social-ecological systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Craig R. Allen & Hannah E. Birge & Shannon Bartelt-Hunt & Rebecca A. Bevans & Jessica L. Burnett & Barbara A. Cosens & Ximing Cai & Ahjond S. Garmestani & Igor Linkov & Elizabeth A. Scott & Mark D. So, 2016. "Avoiding Decline: Fostering Resilience and Sustainability in Midsize Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-24, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:9:p:844-:d:76820
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/844/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/9/844/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cate Fox-Lent & Matthew E. Bates & Igor Linkov, 2015. "A matrix approach to community resilience assessment: an illustrative case at Rockaway Peninsula," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 209-218, June.
    2. Barbara Cosens & Lance Gunderson & Craig Allen & Melinda Harm Benson, 2014. "Identifying Legal, Ecological and Governance Obstacles, and Opportunities for Adapting to Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Trisha L Spanbauer & Craig R Allen & David G Angeler & Tarsha Eason & Sherilyn C Fritz & Ahjond S Garmestani & Kirsty L Nash & Jeffery R Stone, 2014. "Prolonged Instability Prior to a Regime Shift," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(10), pages 1-7, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Assela Pathirana & Mohanasundar Radhakrishnan & Richard Ashley & Nguyen Hong Quan & Chris Zevenbergen, 2018. "Managing urban water systems with significant adaptation deficits—unified framework for secondary cities: part II—the practice," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 57-74, July.
    2. Romana Hajduková & Alžbeta Sopirová, 2022. "Perspectives of Post-Industrial Towns and Landscape in Eastern Slovakia—Case Study Strážske," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Yihao Jiang & Zhaojin Chen & Pingjun Sun, 2022. "Urban Shrinkage and Urban Vitality Correlation Research in the Three Northeastern Provinces of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-22, August.
    4. Dustin L. Herrmann & Wen-Ching Chuang & Kirsten Schwarz & Timothy M. Bowles & Ahjond S. Garmestani & William D. Shuster & Tarsha Eason & Matthew E. Hopton & Craig R. Allen, 2018. "Agroecology for the Shrinking City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-14, March.
    5. Dustin L. Herrmann & William D. Shuster & Audrey L. Mayer & Ahjond S. Garmestani, 2016. "Sustainability for Shrinking Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-9, September.
    6. Daniel R. Uden & Craig R. Allen & Francisco Munoz-Arriola & Gengxin Ou & Nancy Shank, 2018. "A Framework for Tracing Social–Ecological Trajectories and Traps in Intensive Agricultural Landscapes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    7. Alexandru Bănică & Marinela Istrate & Ionel Muntele, 2017. "Challenges for the Resilience Capacity of Romanian Shrinking Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-20, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhixing Ma & Shili Guo & Xin Deng & Dingde Xu, 2021. "Community resilience and resident's disaster preparedness: evidence from China's earthquake-stricken areas," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 108(1), pages 567-591, August.
    2. Giada Feletti & Mariachiara Piraina & Boris Petrenj & Paolo Trucco, 2022. "Collaborative capability building for critical infrastructure resilience: assessment and selection of good practices," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 207-233, June.
    3. Ralph Lasage & Sanne Muis & Carolina S. E. Sardella & Michiel A. Van Drunen & Peter H. Verburg & Jeroen C. J. H. Aerts, 2015. "A Stepwise, Participatory Approach to Design and Implement Community Based Adaptation to Drought in the Peruvian Andes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-32, February.
    4. Jesse M. Keenan, 2018. "Regional resilience trust funds: an exploratory analysis for leveraging insurance surcharges," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 118-139, March.
    5. Hoang Long Nguyen & Rajendra Akerkar, 2020. "Modelling, Measuring, and Visualising Community Resilience: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-26, September.
    6. Joan David Tàbara & Francesc Cots & Simona Pedde & Katharina Hölscher & Kasper Kok & Anastasia Lovanova & Tiago Capela Lourenço & Niki Frantzeskaki & John Etherington, 2018. "Exploring Institutional Transformations to Address High-End Climate Change in Iberia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, January.
    7. Julie Dean Rosati & Katherine Flynn Touzinsky & W. Jeff Lillycrop, 2015. "Quantifying coastal system resilience for the US Army Corps of Engineers," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 196-208, June.
    8. R. Cantelmi & G. Di Gravio & R. Patriarca, 2021. "Reviewing qualitative research approaches in the context of critical infrastructure resilience," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 341-376, September.
    9. Liang Wang & Xiaolong Xue & Yuanxin Zhang & Xiaowei Luo, 2018. "Exploring the Emerging Evolution Trends of Urban Resilience Research by Scientometric Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-29, October.
    10. Marco Cinelli & Matteo Spada & Wansub Kim & Yiwen Zhang & Peter Burgherr, 2021. "MCDA Index Tool: an interactive software to develop indices and rankings," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 82-109, March.
    11. A. Jovanović & P. Klimek & O. Renn & R. Schneider & K. Øien & J. Brown & M. DiGennaro & Y. Liu & V. Pfau & M. Jelić & T. Rosen & B. Caillard & S. Chakravarty & P. Chhantyal, 2020. "Assessing resilience of healthcare infrastructure exposed to COVID-19: emerging risks, resilience indicators, interdependencies and international standards," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 252-286, June.
    12. Aven, Terje, 2017. "How some types of risk assessments can support resilience analysis and management," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 536-543.
    13. Tran, Huy T. & Balchanos, Michael & Domerçant, Jean Charles & Mavris, Dimitri N., 2017. "A framework for the quantitative assessment of performance-based system resilience," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 73-84.
    14. Xin Fu & Xinhao Wang, 2018. "Developing an integrative urban resilience capacity index for plan making," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 367-378, September.
    15. Odirilwe Selomane & Belinda Reyers & Reinette Biggs & Maike Hamann, 2019. "Harnessing Insights from Social-Ecological Systems Research for Monitoring Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-36, February.
    16. Scira Menoni & Adriana Galderisi & Daniela Carrion & Chiara Gerosa, 2024. "Cross-Sectoral and Multilevel Dimensions of Risk and Resilience Management in Urban Areas Enabled by Geospatial Data Processing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-26, October.
    17. Ebrahim Karan & Sadegh Asgari, 2021. "Resilience of food, energy, and water systems to a sudden labor shortage," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 63-81, March.
    18. Valérie Nicollier & Marcos Eduardo Cordeiro Bernardes & Asher Kiperstok, 2022. "What Governance Failures Reveal about Water Resources Management in a Municipality of Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-30, February.
    19. Wood, Matthew D. & Wells, Emily M. & Rice, Glenn & Linkov, Igor, 2019. "Quantifying and mapping resilience within large organizations," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 117-126.
    20. Wu, Dongshao & Cao, Min & Gao, Wei & Duan, Zhongzhao & Zhang, Yuan, 2024. "Simulating critical nutrient loadings of regime shift in the shallow plateau Lake Dianchi," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 491(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:9:p:844-:d:76820. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.