A framework to understand the relationship between social factors that reduce resilience in cities: Application to the City of Boston

Abstract

For the first time in human history, more people across the world live in cities than in rural areas: In the U.S., approximately 80% of the population live in cities. Socially vulnerable populations and complex infrastructure exist in higher numbers in cities significantly compounding risk. People facing these social factors have disproportionate exposure to risk and a decreased ability to avoid or absorb potential loss. However, the body of literature available on social vulnerability is disparate with fragmented insight into understanding the relationship between social factors that increase vulnerability and practical approaches to reduce risk. This research focuses on developing a replicable, practical approach to understanding the complexity of social vulnerability in American cities while reducing the likelihood of civil rights violations. The Social Determinants of Vulnerability Framework (The Framework) was developed using a link analysis of social factors from existing literature. The Framework consists of seven interrelated social factors that seem to be driving vulnerability: children, people with disabilities, older adults, chronic and acute medical illness, social isolation , low-to-no income, and people of color. The Framework also includes specific poor outcomes that people with pre-emergency social factors are more likely to experience at disproportionately higher levels after emergencies: lack of access to post-incident services; displacement; injury, illness, and death; property loss or damage; domestic violence; and loss of employment. A quantitative analysis of those social factors based on City of Boston data confirmed many of the relationships among the social factors of vulnerability and the significance of social isolation.

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