How to build resilient communities

The world’s massive infrastructure investment deficit is a fundamental issue for global development, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic when cramped, poorly ventilated housing, workplaces, public buildings, and lack of WASH facilities have accelerated the spread of infection.

According to the “Global Infrastructure Outlook,” by 2040, the world will need $94 trillion of infrastructure investments to keep pace with economic and demographic change. Yet this was estimated before the supply chain disruptions and limits on mobility brought on by the pandemic, which subsequently delayed implementation of many large-scale and some community-level infrastructure projects.

A lack of suitable infrastructure leaves the world’s most impoverished and isolated communities more vulnerable to hazards related to climate change, but when designed and executed properly, infrastructure has the power to build critical resilience in communities.

It can help them withstand weather disasters and potentially boost economic opportunities and livelihoods. However, creating this resilience requires a thorough understanding of the links between local infrastructure development and social impact — or “impact infrastructure.”

To learn more about how impact infrastructure can transform communities, bolster their resilience, and improve their health and wealth, Devex partnered with bechtel.org, a new social enterprise launched by Bechtel Corp. in a report.

We examined the work being done in five regions across the world in this area and conducted in-depth interviews with the development professionals on the ground who are driving community-level infrastructure development.

We focused on unearthing the challenges and solutions that they find in the delivery of community-level infrastructure, all in an effort to identify more effective ways of building resilient communities. Below are four significant findings on how to do just that.

1. Implement a resilient and systemic approach

More than half of the development professionals interviewed said climate change posed the biggest risk for the local communities in which they work. Those in low- and middle-income countries often rely on ad hoc strategies to deal with complex and evolving hazards such as floods, typhoons, or earthquakes. They also tend to lack a longer-term, formal, and systemic response to resilience, as well as the expertise and resources for successful duplication of projects rolled out by other wealthier communities.

While such communities are typically already underserved in infrastructure, such as roads, schools, health centers, or energy access, the infrastructure they have is susceptible to damage by extreme weather or other hazards, leaving people even more vulnerable to the next destructive climate event.

A longer-term, more strategic response is required, according to interviewees.

“When we talk about community resilience, it’s more than just facing the shocks and stress of today,” said Allie Schlafer, former senior regional program associate at Lutheran World Relief in Peru. “It’s also about how we build up resilient communities for 10-15 years down the road.”

The report also states that building resilient, sustainable infrastructure is key in helping at-risk communities and their economies recover from the pandemic and withstand future health crises and other shocks.

2. Build long-term resilience

One way of achieving community resilience is through the delivery of small-scale, local infrastructure that integrates social impact and not only defends communities from adverse events but builds long-term capacity. This should also contribute to socio-economic development.

According to one-third of the interviewees, infrastructure that provides civil services — schools, hospitals, shelter, or WASH — is critical to improving community resilience. Others say infrastructure projects that directly employ and upskill local people can improve livelihoods and resilience in tandem.

Such impact infrastructure can also lead to better management of natural resources and improved self-reliance by decentralizing government services.

However, 69% of interviewees say local communities and governments lack a basic understanding of disaster risk reduction and resilience principles to start with. Communities must gain greater access to best practices and other information to reduce the impact of increasingly frequent natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, and storms, they say.

3. Improve local capacity

Aside from lack of understanding of disaster risk reduction, 90% of those interviewed believe local governments and communities cannot also prepare for and respond to crises. Technical capabilities and an available workforce are two key critical areas they say that need reinforcement.

In Kenya, for instance, 67% of young adults are unemployed, and more than one million young people enter the labor market each year without possessing any formal skills. Similarly, out-migration of skilled labor, particularly from rural areas, has significantly weakened the ability of communities to retain the knowledge and skills necessary to build local infrastructure.

Therefore, building up local capacity so that communities can be at the heart of implementing any project is essential, according to interviewees.

“In our context of a poor and developing country, resilience is not a question. For example, you need food or drinks all the time; therefore, you prioritize getting food and water. But disasters are not frequent, so it falls under the last priority because you don’t have the capacity or the resources,” said Hari Darshan Shrestha, president at the Center of Resilient Development in Nepal.

Previously, feasibility studies have been used to help identify skill gaps, local needs, and priorities. But 79% of interviewees say these studies often reflect a lack of understanding of local context, community engagement, and an effective evaluation of project sites. As a result, the studies lead to poor design, planning, and execution.

Other community limitations cited by interviewees include limited fiscal capacity and government funding and difficulty retaining knowledge and skills.

4. Ensure community engagement and ownership

Engaging with authority figures such as local politicians, clan elders, and other leaders can really benefit infrastructure project developers. Almost two-thirds — 72% — of interviewees say understanding local context and needs in the project design phase is critical to addressing community resilience and sustainability.

Local leaders “can mobilize the community into accepting the purpose of sustainability and develop activities that are proper for the communities,” said Grace Mwangi, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning manager at AVSI Foundation in Kenya.

Understanding the local situation can help developers not only identify the right technological solutions but give them a better understanding of social dynamics that could impact the long-term effectiveness of their projects. Resource-related conflicts in parts of Kenya, for example, mean infrastructure projects will only succeed by incorporating conflict mitigation and resource sharing.

The interviewees broadly agree on the importance of engaging with communities from the start of a project through thorough consultation processes. It can take time for communities to reach a consensus on the best way forward, so development timetables must be flexible.

Working through established groups with an organized structure — for example, savings or loan societies specializing in accepting savings, deposits, and making loans — or even installing new ones can help smooth and speed up the process.

To discover more ways of building resilient communities, read the full report.