Your communities are vulnerable yet also capable: a viewpoint on community power to crisis resilience research and practice

Purpose This viewpoint article offers a critical perspective to enhance current research and practical efforts in building crisis resilience. It emphasizes the power of crisis-affected communities, which have often been overlooked or dismissed as merely “vulnerable” in previous studies and practices. Design/methodology/approach The authors briefly review literature that underscores the significance of community power in building crisis resilience. They then explore two approaches—the asset-based approach and the co-creation approach—that may provide insights into incorporating community power into research and practical efforts to build crisis resilience. Findings The authors discuss anticipated challenges and propose pathways to integrate community power into efforts to build crisis resilience. Originality/value This article highlights the unintended impact of a vulnerability-focused approach in building crisis resilience. The authors advocate for a perspective centered on community power and explore strategies to support this perspective in both current research and practical applications.