Building Community Resiliency: Spatial Links between Household and Business Post-disaster Return Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Rapidly urbanising areas along the worlds coasts are exposing greater numbers of households to more frequent and severe natural and man-made disasters. Knowledge gained from disaster situations can provide insight into larger urban forces and play a role in developing and prescribing policies that influence the creation of more resilient communities. This article explores the interdependency of households and businesses in post-disaster return following 2008s Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas. Geocoded data from 980 households and 145 businesses collected in the months after the storm allow the spatial correlation of the household occupancy and business operation, controlling for damage. Findings suggest that the return of households and businesses are mutually dependent across space. The re-opening of businesses can influence nearby households decisions to return to their homes and the return of households in the market area will increase the chances for businesses to return.

published proceedings

  • URBAN STUDIES

altmetric score

  • 266.16

author list (cited authors)

  • Xiao, Y. u., & Van Zandt, S.

citation count

  • 76

complete list of authors

  • Xiao, Yu||Van Zandt, Shannon

publication date

  • January 2012