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Governing Disaster in Urban Environments: Climate Change Preparation and Adaption after Hurricane Sandy is a comprehensive account of relevant debates, conceptualizations, and practical considerations for the governance of disaster at multiple scales. In this interdisciplinary work, Julia Nevárez uses the example of Hurricane Sandy to analyze the complex phenomenon of climate change and its effects on flood-prone areas. Drawing on the notion of the Anthropocene and discourse on resiliency, Nevárez discusses alternative methods of recovery after climate-induced disasters. Nevárez analyzes international climate agreements and neoliberal policies based on austerity measures to highlight the need to secure cooperation from the international community in order to ensure environmental security on a global scale, including communities of solidarity.
Introduction: Hurricane Sandy and the Challenges of Governing Disaster
Chapter 1. Climate Change, Katrina, and Sandy
Chapter 2. Neoliberalism, Globalization, and the Urban Paradox in Climate Change Governance
Chapter 3. Post Sandy Disaster and Climate Governance: Resiliency in Adaptation and Mitigation
Chapter 4. Alternatives: Social and Physical Redundancies
Chapter 5. Climate Change Resilient and Redundant Social Policy
Conclusion: Tackling Climate Change: The Epistemological Rift in Governing Disaster
Julia Nevárez is an assistant professor and sociology coordinator at Kean University.
"Julia Nevárez has written a powerful and original account of the intersection between climate change and disaster governance, viewed through the prism of Hurricane Sandy and its devastating impact on New York City. This book charts the solidarities that emerged in adversity and contains a resonant message of hope. Governing Disaster in Urban Environments deserves to become a standard text for urbanists globally."
– Jonathan Davies, Professor of Critical Policy Studies, De Montfort University
"In recent years, the climate problem has transitioned from a natural hazard to a decision-dependent risk which appears to be calculable and therefore manageable. Governing Disaster in Urban Environments is a sophisticated analysis of the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the New York region and illustrates that the opposite is the case. Nevárez puts climate change into the wider context of neoliberal urban governance and austerity policies and shows how ill-prepared state agencies react when facing disaster management. This book draws our attention to the fact that climate change is a state-made risk and highlights the relevance of communities' capabilities for emergency management. A must-read for all interested in government studies, climate change, and community resilience."
– Karsten Zimmermann, TU Dortmund University
"Julia Nevárez explores the still evolving political and societal responses to Hurricane Sandy and offers recommendations – many tied to the importance of community responses – to strengthening resilience to similar threats to come."
– John Waldman, The City University of New York
