So this post pretty much does what it says on the tin. I’ve been to a few events and been exposed to a few interesting ideas that I thought I’d share around. Hope you find them of interest!
This is my favourite project of the moment, and it really caught my eye (excuse unintended pun) because of how much potential it has in increasingly both individual and community resilience. This isn’t just an app about helping people suffer from blindness, it is about making bridging connections around every day experiences, potentially reducing demand on carers, unlocking assets in a non-public service approach and generally being awesome (ok that last one wasn’t so intelligent but what the hell). Check them out, and if you use it would be fascinated to hear about your experience.
Eggshells, luck, hope and thanks
Someone forwarded this link on to me and I found it a very moving and personal reflection on what being a resilient individual means as we grow and develop and pursue our goals. These reflections are from the author Jessie Burton and I would heartily recommend a read through, with reflection on how you see yourself in her story
I feel very lucky to be working across the road from the good people of Central St Martins and even more privileged to be able to collaborate with them on a regular basis. It just so happens that one of the themes they are exploring at the moment is designing conditions for resilience. Their blog is a great source of inspiration. Block out some time and have a browse.
Any article that manages to explore resilience via Alexis de Tocqueville and Grizzly Adams gets my vote. Quite America focused in its content, but hugely fascinating in terms of articulating how individual and community resilience are utterly interdependent and cannot flourish without each other. Entertaining read!
Museumpark, underground carpark and water resevoir – Rotterdam
More of a structural one this (a topic I want to expand upon in future posts) but this case study tickled me, because it seemed a great way of integrating “redundancy” (idle capacity) into a physical system, making an area more resilient both from an environmental point of view, but also in bringing different types of urban traffic together. Interested what others think given under-used space in urban areas is an ever-recurring topic.
So, those are some of the things i’ve stumbled across of late that inspired me, or stimulated a bit of thought. Hope they’re of interest and as always do leave comments below with anything interesting you’ve come across. Speak soon!
Not for Self, but for All 
‘How people learn to be resilient’ – a fascinating read – http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-secret-formula-for-resilience.
Research has found that resilient people tend to see themselves as ‘the orchestrators of their own fate’, who see themselves as the main driver of achievements rather than their circumstances. Not particularly ground-breaking but the bit I found most interesting was the idea that resilience isn’t necessarily an inherent thing you are either born with or not, and in fact it can be learned over time and skills can be taught.
The scientific aspect of resilience isn’t something I had considered before, but then I am an arts and humanities person!
LikeLike
It’s interesting – there are conflicting views on this. Some saying it is in one’s DNA, others saying it can be developed. I’d lean towards thinking that even if there is something inherent within you, resilience is something that requires nurturing. One’s inherent resilience can to my mind easily turn into passive tolerance or desensitisation (if that’s a word) which I don’t think is healthy.
LikeLike