“Crisis is not a temporary state that is addressed and resolved upon in its every new arrival. Nor is it some final horizon that we must desperately scramble to avoid. Crises are neither behind us nor ahead of us - rather, they are always already here.”
While complicating the temporal stability of crisis is important work, equally important is thinking through the spatial and social dimensions of crises. Do we use the word ‘crisis’ to indicate a given catalyst or to intentionally elide the sets of conditions that make us vulnerable to a crisis? Where do crises occur, who bears the brunt of the impact, and why? Finally, how can marginalized communities become better empowered to create inclusive plans that build their capacities to resist, bounce back from, adapt to, and transform with these sudden shocks and changing conditions? A crisis is merely a recurring window into the nexus of environmental vulnerabilities and community vulnerabilities that are always already existing, but which tend to be ignored or given superficial and often patronizing treatment by those tasked with mitigating the impact of crises. When a crisis occurs, cities begin working on the physical and economic recovery while neglecting the underlining social conditions that invite these crises. This panel session invites research papers wrestling with questions at the intersections of environmental justice, climate justice, and resilience justice as well as urban planning, community resilience, and radical (and radically inclusive) participation.
Organizers: Jake Mace, Colin Sheehan, & Irie Ewers
Please submit abstracts to Jake Mace at jacob.mace@louisville.edu by 15 December 2023.
Modality: In-person