The participatory vulnerability scoping diagram - deliberative risk ranking for community water systems

Annals of the Association of American Geographers
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Abstract

Natural hazards and climate change present growing challenges to community water system (CWS) managers, who are increasingly turning to vulnerability assessments to identify, prioritize, and adapt to risks. Effectively assessing CWS vulnerability requires information and participation from various sources, one of which is stakeholders. In this article, we present a deliberative risk-ranking methodology, the participatory vulnerability scoping diagram (P-VSD), which allows rapid assessment and integration of multiple stakeholder perspectives of vulnerability. This technique is based on methods of deliberative risk evaluation and the vulnerability scoping diagram. The goal of the methodology is to engage CWS managers and stakeholders collectively to provide qualitative contextual risk rankings as a first step in a vulnerability assessment. We conduct an initial assessment using a case study of CWS in two U.S. counties, sites with broadly similar exposures but differences in population, land use, and other social sensitivity factors. Results demonstrate that CWS managers and stakeholders in the two case study communities all share the belief that their CWS are vulnerable to hazards but differ in how this vulnerability manifests itself in terms of the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of the system.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The participatory vulnerability scoping diagram - deliberative risk ranking for community water systems
Series title Annals of the Association of American Geographers
DOI 10.1080/00045608.2013.754673
Volume 2
Issue 103
Year Published 2013
Language English
Publisher Taylor & Francis
Contributing office(s) Oregon Water Science Center
Description 10 p.
First page 343
Last page 352
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