PhD defence T.A. (Theresa) Oller Esteban

Cities are complex, multi-sectoral, multi-dimensional, and dynamic socio-ecological systems composed of human, social, environmental, institutional, and economic capitals. In order to plan a resilient city, these complex and dynamic interrelationships must be recognized. Resilience has been defined as a measure of the ecosystem’s ability to absorb, persist and return to its equilibrium after a temporary disturbance (Holling, 1973). This capability is related to the capacities of cities, in this case, the aforementioned capitals, which are considered drivers of resilience. The drivers of resilience characterize a city’s ability to return to a state of equilibrium, adjust, adapt, and evolve following a disaster. The dissertation is about building urban resilience through collective engagement, with a particular interest in flood-prone cities and their efforts to become disaster-resilient. It looks into the interrelationship, the vertical, horizontal, and transversal, between collective engagement and urban resilience, how collective engagement takes place in cities, and what role it plays in transforming disaster-prone cities to disaster-resilient cities.

The PhD defences will not take place publicly in the usual way. A live stream link has been provided to candidate. The ceremony will begin exactly at 10:30.