Who Gets to Be Resilient? Justice and the Governance of Urban Flood Risk

As part of by the Disaster and Emergency Management Lecture Series, join us for a presentation by Dr. Blessing Mucherera on how achieving just flood resilience requires embedding justice within planning, decision-making, and resource allocation.

Urban flooding is increasingly framed as a governance challenge, with city authorities frequently invoking resilience, equity, and inclusion. Yet questions remain about how justice is operationalised within flood resilience planning and practice. 

Drawing on comparative research in Hull, UK, and Calgary, Canada, this session examines how urban flood resilience is experienced and governed among minoritised ethnic communities. Using a procedural, distributive, and recognitional justice framework, the findings reveal persistent tensions between commitments to equitable resilience and the realities of governance. 

Dr. Blessing Mucherera

Dr. Blessing Mucherera is a human geographer whose research focuses on flood resilience, climate justice, and participatory approaches to disaster risk governance. His PhD in Human Geography (Water Cultures) at the University of Hull examined the cultural production of flood injustices in Hull, UK, and Calgary, Canada. Since 2003, his work across consultancy, community development, and academia has explored the relationships between people, place, risk, and resilience. He is a co-author of  Displacement, Borders, and Unsettling Narratives (2024). His current interests include serious games, community engagement, and equitable approaches to climate adaptation and disaster resilience. Learn more at blessingmucherera.ca.