Exploring the concept of ‘community resilience’: A case study of Scottish emergency management discourse and its practical implications for the city of Glasgow

Community resilience, defined as the capacity of a community to respond and adapt to hazards, has become a key strategy within emergency management frameworks. This paper investigates the concept of community resilience through an in-depth case study of Glasgow, Scotland, a city exposed to a range of natural, anthropogenic, and chronic risks. Glasgow's complex urban dynamics and inequalities make it a valuable context for exploring resilience-building processes.

Via 10 semi-structured interviews with 11 participants – 8 resilience practitioners and 3 community representatives - the research examines how community resilience is conceptualised, the factors that support or hinder it, and the influence of Scottish and local policy frameworks. Findings reveal broad alignment between theoretical definitions and practitioner perspectives, but significant barriers remain. Key challenges include poverty, weakened community cohesion, and strained emergency services. Participants stressed Glasgow's vulnerability to future risks and called for both strategic and grassroots adaptations. The study offers practical recommendations to strengthen urban resilience, emphasising sustained community engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and flexible, evolving strategies.