We have seen the harmful effects of extreme heat, extreme rainfall, and wildfire events in BC over the past few years. To help UBC prepare for climate change-related emergencies, Safety & Risk Services’ Emergency Management, the School of Community and Regional Planning, the Faculty of Applied Science, and other faculty partners created the Resilience Hubs for UBC Campus Communities project. The initiative won a Campus as Living Lab award for funding.
What is a resilience hub?
A resilience hub is a community amenity to help prepare for emergencies and provide support during an emergency.
In an emergency, it could serve as a cooling centre and provide emergency food and water. In non-emergency times, it builds social connection, enhances well-being and promotes hazard awareness.
What will this project do?
Collaborating as business partners with academic units, the Emergency Management team aims to develop a Resilience Hub Framework and a disaster risk reduction roadmap to improve UBC’s operational response to climate emergencies.
It will benefit UBC by developing the first comprehensive understanding of the multi-dimensional complexities of the climate emergency for the Vancouver campus. This will inform the strategic direction of campus emergency management and strengthen the university’s emergency management partnerships with other jurisdictions across Metro Vancouver.
Hailey Maxwell, Manager, Emergency Management & Continuity Planning, sees this project as a key part of shaping the future of her department, stating “the course that we chart for UBC’s Emergency Management program over the next decade will be a more focused and forward-looking effort because of our CLL collaboration.”
Learn more about the project or check out this interview with the project team.