| Institution: | aHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;bJohann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (vTI), Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany;cInstitute of International Sociology of Gorizia (ISIG), Via Mazzini 13, 34170 Gorizia, Italy;dMiddlesex University Higher Education Corporation, Flood Hazard Research Centre, Trent Park, Bramley Road, London N14 4YZ, UK;eInstitute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies (ICTA), Autonomous University Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain;fScientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Anton Melik Geographical Institute, Novi trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;gWSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland;hDIALOGIK Non-Profit Institute for Communication and Cooperative Research Stuttgart, Lerchenstraße 22, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany;iLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK |
| Abstract: | Social capacity building for natural hazards is a topic increasingly gaining relevance not only for so-called developing countries but also for European welfare states which are continuously challenged by the social, economic and ecological impacts of natural hazards. Following an outline of recent governance changes with regard to natural hazards, we develop a heuristic model of social capacity building by taking into account a wide range of existing expertise from different fields of research. Particular attention is paid to social vulnerability and its assessment, as well as to risk communication and risk education as specific strategies of social capacity building. We propose to distinguish between interventionist and participatory approaches, thus enabling for a better understanding of existing practices of social capacity building as well as their particular strengths and weaknesses. By way of conclusion, we encourage more research on social capacity building for natural hazards in the European context which at present is highly diverse and, at least in parts, only poorly investigated. |
