A matrix approach to community resilience assessment: an illustrative case at Rockaway Peninsula

Existing community resilience assessment methods lack explicit reference to temporality of disruptive events and often use standard metrics that may not be universally appropriate. Linkov et al.’s (Environ Sci Technol 47(18):10108–10110, 2013a; Environ Syst Decis 33(4):471–476, 2013b) Resilience Matrix (RM) framework utilizes local stakeholder-informed metrics aligned with the temporal stages of the National Academy of Science definition of disaster resilience. Here we demonstrate the application of the RM to coastal community resilience at Rockaway Peninsula, New York. We present the flexibility of the RM methodology by using both qualitative and quantitative metrics drawn from post-Hurricane Sandy reports. The presentation of the case study results reveals opportunities to prioritize investments and collaborate among responsible parties.