All over the world, urban communities take initiative in order to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study conducts a literature review and an international exploratory study in order to identify pathways within which Community Resilience Initiatives (CRIs) emerge within diferent governance contexts. The CRIs target vulnerable communities, which are hard to reach. Our study results identify four pathways: (1) informal bottom-up community initiatives; (2) formal community initiatives emerging out of existing community-based initiatives; (3) initiatives of external actors, often NGOs, universities or governments and (4) networks of organisations whom together initiate action in response to COVID-19. The pathways lead to different types, scales and complexities of the initiatives. However, all face similar barriers related to funding, weak networks and limited cooperation. CRIs often perceive the government agencies to be unreliable and unsupportive which in turn also hampers CRI’s emergence.

doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00348-y, hdl.handle.net/1765/133259
European Journal of Development Research
Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)

Fransen, J., Peralta, O., Vanelli, F., Edelenbos, J., & Oliver, B.C. (2021). The emergence of Urban Community Resilience Initiatives during the COVID-19pandemic: An international exploratory study. European Journal of Development Research. doi:10.1057/s41287-020-00348-y