Defining Resilience

Based on the research conducted in the first half of the studio and the on-island travel experience, our studio team developed a shared definition of resilience to apply specifically to our work in St. Croix. We looked at stakeholders, strategies, actions, and other elements that contribute to resilience and brought them together to uncover commonalities and priorities. The definition was driven as much by research as it was by lived experiences in St. Croix, as travel week had a significant impact on the framing of previous research and allowed the team to approach this resilience definition with a new perspective.

This resilience definition serves as a guiding vision for the studio and has been used to steer the resilience projects pitched in the second half of this plan. Each project speaks to this definition by proposing ways in which existing systems on St. Croix can anticipate changes that may come in the future and prepare for them now. This definition unifies the projects with the goal of helping St. Croix maximize its resilience and promote the well being of all people on the island.

St. Croix’s strength lies within its resilience. It is the ability to adapt to and recover from environmental, social, and economic shocks in order to ensure the prosperity of the island and its people.