Analyzing the Theoretical and Practical Implications of Resilience Transferences Among Social Groups in Merida City, Mexico

Although the recent introduction of resilience notion in the study of urban systems has expanded the existing knowledge about their socio-ecological processes and structures, it has also tended to generate simplifications about the complex relationship between resilience and vulnerability. As Chelleri et al (2015) mentioned these simplifications include among others, denial of the evolutionary and multi-scale dimensions of resilience. In this regard, Holling et al (2002) reminds us that resilience in a specific scale or period could being achieved at the expense of other scales, time periods or other systems, therefore is important to pay attention to resilience transfers between scales, periods and systems. Recently Chelleri et al (2015) deepened in the study of resilience transfers in urban socio-ecological systems from three perspectives.

 

Although Chelleri’s work clearly presents the basic approach to the study of resilience transfers in and between urban socio-ecological systems, this only point the way from which this line of research should developed. Questions such as, is there resilience transfers among the different urban social groups, and what are they characteristics? and how effective are the social and economic development, and climate change governmental programs in the transfer of resilience among the different urban social groups, particularly the most vulnerable? remain for answers. This paper aims to explore the theoretical and practical implications of these and other questions thus making a contribution to the current debate on the complex adaptive systems, particularly in what refers to the resilience of urban socio-ecological systems in developing countries. The work focuses in the case of the city of Merida, Mexico and methodologically develops on the statistical analysis of a recent database whose development was in charge of the author, as well as the addition of in-depth interviews to key actors.