Post-crisis Resilient Governance in Centro region (Portugal) after 2017 wildfires

Authors

  • Carlos Gonçalves University of Aveiro - Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences research unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy
  • Monique Borges
  • João Marques

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38191/iirr-jorr.21.022

Keywords:

Post-disaster resilience, governance systems, services of general interest, resistance, adaptability, wildfire

Abstract

Governance systems, when addressing post-disaster action, play an important role in minimizing the community’s vulnerability in future disruptive events. The literature describes how post-disaster actions towards resistance-resilience measures are often implemented, shifting to adaptive-resilience approaches as a second concern, and disregarding resilience-transformative strategies. Two consecutive wildfires in the Centro Region (Portugal), in 2017, cut off access to the Services of General Interest (SGIs) and knocked off-balance the socioeconomic territorial structure and identity (the main impact was 116 mortal victims). In this paper, the media coverage of the phenomena during the 12 months following the disaster is analysed using a sample of 150 news articles published in two newspapers. The public discourses are indicative of the overall importance given to the impact and to the responses based on resistance-resilience measures. Moreover, the theoretical and practical challenges for the policy design and organization of the governance systems in post-disaster contexts is discussed.

Author Biography

Carlos Gonçalves, University of Aveiro - Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences research unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy

Presently, he is Full Researcher in the Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences of the University of Aveiro were he is a member of the Systems for Decision Support Group in the research unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP). He is working in the SPLACH (Spatial Planning for Change) project on transformative planning policies, implementation mechanisms and decision support systems, aimed to guide the Portuguese policymakers towards transition low carbon, sustainable and socially inclusive urban systems. Before his current position, Carlos Gonçalves developed research and teaching experience (during more than a decade) participating in about a dozen of researcher projects at the Center for Geographical Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon. Furthermore he had four years of effective experience in spatial planning, as a Senior Geographer in Local Admiration, were he participated in the elaboration, revision and adaptation of several spatial planning instruments (mainly as coordinator). His main research interests are: Transformative Planning Policies; pro-Sustainability and Resilient Urban Systems; Crisis and Evolutionary Resilience; Multilevel Governance Systems and Public Policies Evaluation.

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Published

2021-11-09

Issue

Vol. 51 (2021): Issue 51

Section

Artículos

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