Contingency Plan

Theoretical Background

In dealing with contingency events, several comprehensive theories have been put up by scholars, which we have chosen as our main reference based on the scenario for formulating our contingency plan.

Drr

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) theory covers mitigation, planning, and reconstruction efforts. DRR also envelopes various concepts and terminologies such as risk, vulnerability, and hazards that constitute DRR as a holistic concept. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, through their UNISDR Terminology and Disaster Risk Reduction publication (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2009), defines DRR as the systematic analysis and management of factors that cause disasters in order to mitigate their risks. This includes decreasing exposure to hazards, minimizing the vulnerability of people and property, managing land and the environment in a sustainable manner, and enhancing preparedness for unfavorable situations.

Dapp

Flexibility and adaptability are also important aspects of contingency planning, which is best laid out in implementing Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP). Kwakkel, Walker, Haasnot (2016) describe DAPP as the combination of short-term and long-term planning for planners and practitioners to commit to short-term actions, while still maintaining visions for future longterm actions. This planning is done parallel with the formulation of a framework that would guide practitioners to implement and move forwards with the formulated plans.

Community Capacity Building

In light of the localized approach, community participation will be crucial in determining the success of a contingency plan and based on the literature review in this report. To increase the chance of success, the capacity of a community needs to be built and strengthened, which involves their sense of community, commitment, ability to solve problems, and access to resources (Chaskin, 2001) All to increase their level of resilience in dealing with contingency events.

Building resilience in the local community by developing a sense of identity, introducing strategies for improving critical aspects and performing regular assessments concerning risk and vulnerability of the area are important. To be adequately prepared for upcoming events, certain resources are necessary regarding facilities, staff and funding. Severity and frequency of events will increase due to climate change and therefore it is obliged to react accordingly by providing either more available staff or emergency shelters and developing an early warning system as well as evacuation plans.

(Boswell

et al., 2019, p. 217)

A resilient community can be built Step by step, by identifying the responsible stakeholders, acquiring financial resources, monitoring the effectiveness and progress of the implementations and furthermore establishing feedback loops. (Boswell et al., 2019, p. 221, 222) Furthermore, long term solution could be the development of local strategies or a risk management plan to adapt to climate change. DIY-urbanism can also be transformed into long term solutions which are still based on informal constructions.

(Udelsmann, 2019)

Social Capital

In a financial system, capital is an important measure of power in the form of readily available assets. Thus, in the context of a community, in recent decades, scholars have developed the notion of social capital, which is roughly the power a person or community holds in their social setting. Social capital is quite difficult to define precisely, as various experts and scholars have defined it differently. However, what they do have a common understanding of is that Social capital consists of some aspect of social structures, and they facilitate certain actions of actors, whether persons or corporate actors, within the structure (Serageldin & Dasgupta, 2000). Hence, Social capital could be used to measure the power and quality of a community and could be considered to be improved in dealing with localized and frugal contingency planning.

Nbs

Frugal contingency plan approach needs to have an innovative and grounded perspective, which could be provided by implementing NatureBased Solutions (NBS). According to the World Bank (2021), Nature-based solutions involve utilizing nature and natural processes to address the increasing urban resilience challenges by delivering infrastructure, services, and holistic solutions. These approaches extend beyond specific sectors and necessitate collaboration across different sectors. Implementing nature-based solutions can yield numerous advantages for cities, including mitigating disaster risks, enhancing climate resilience, restoring biodiversity, offering recreational opportunities, promoting human health, ensuring water and food security, and supporting community well-being and livelihoods. Implementing NBS in a contingency plan could provide alternatives for solutions that were previously thought of difficult to realize due to technology or resource limitations