Community Resilience Districts

The idea of the Community Resilience District ("CRD") came from volunteers who wanted to provide different ways to organize a NET that were not dictated by the boundaries of neighborhood associations. The CRD concept not only offers this alternative but also encourages the formation of operational teams at a block scale, centralizes the administrative functions of a NET, and promotes the recruitment of Affiliated Team Volunteers (ATVs).

...mm

...

Background

Concept development began in early 2018 in response to the following ideas and concerns voiced by NET volunteers in surveys:

• NET volunteers should organize at the block level rather than the neighborhood association level. Many NETs believe neighborhood associations are too large to effectively plan for an earthquake response, and it's more practical to focus on the hyperlocal level (block scale) where the response will likely take place.
• Team meetings have low attendance, and there could be various reasons for this. However, regardless of the reason, Team Leaders get frustrated and burnt out when they don't regularly hear from their Team Members and Affiliated Team Volunteers (ATVs).
• NETs need the support and involvement of the entire local community, not just a few neighbors who are interested in preparing for a disaster. NETs can act as advocates for disaster preparedness and response at the local level, but they will require assistance from less-engaged neighbors to respond effectively after an earthquake.
• Many NET Team Leaders prefer to focus on operational planning rather than administrative tasks. Some become leaders to plan for the response in their immediate area and may not necessarily want to manage rosters, conduct meetings, recruit others, or raise funds.

Jeremy Van Keuren (PBEM Community Resilience Manager) presented the first CRD concept paper to NET volunteers on November 8, 2018. NETs responded optimistically to the presentation and directed PBEM to develop the concept further by piloting it in several neighborhoods. A pilot had already started in late spring that year in the St. Johns neighborhood, where it continues today. Jeremy also set about meeting with Downtown NET volunteers to develop a CRD charter, but the effort ultimately failed under stress from the COVID pandemic in 2020. Response to COVID, in fact, effectively shelved implementation of the CRD concept. A meeting of NET Team Leaders and PBEM during the 2022 NETCamp affirmed that the CRD concept is still something NETs and PBEM should explore pursuing.

To this day, St. Johns/Cathedral Park is the only NET that has piloted the CRD concept.