By Susanne Togeby, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Colourbox

How can communities be built so that citizens stand stronger together when facing situations such as floods, power outages, or storms? This is what Birgitte Hoffman from Aalborg University and Nina Baron from Copenhagen University College will soon investigate in the project “Shared and Robust.”

With support from the LB Association, the two researchers will explore which tools can strengthen local emergency preparedness in neighborhoods. According to the researchers, there are many examples showing that people are very good at working together when they can also see the value for themselves. However, we often lack a way to get started because we don’t know what concrete actions to take in our local area. The researchers aim to explore this and develop specific, actionable guidelines.

In the project, the researchers will study four different types of local communities:

• The village
• Public housing areas
• Homeowners’ associations
• Cooperative housing associations

Here, they will test various ways of collaborating on the development of effective local emergency preparedness systems.

Translated by Lasse Brandt Fredsager