Role of Socially-Equitable Economic Development in Creating Resilient and Sustainable Systems: COVID-19-Related Reflections

This paper aims to provoke fundamental thinking and action around the value and importance of socially-equitable development to the economic advancement, resilience, and prosperity of communities, as we contend with the 21st Century grand challenge of the changing climate and disasters. As local communities and the global community have experienced an increased frequency, intensity and duration of natural and man-made disasters over the past several decades, opportunities have also grown to identify and reap the benefits of socially-equitable economic development. Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, we discuss the critical importance of socially-equitable economic development to the resilience and sustainability of communities and the infrastructure that supports them. To this end, we:

1. examine what constitutes socially-equitable economic development at different spatial scales of community;
2. explore whether socially-equitable development can occur at different scales of community;
3. explicate the importance of formally considering the inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes for socially-equitable development;
4. explain why the pursuit of equal distribution of the benefits and burdens of development is a necessary but not sufficient endeavor for socially-equitable economic development;
5. analyze the relationships between socially-equitable development, and resilient and sustainable infrastructure and communities;
6. explain why socially-equitable development should be a key component of infrastructure and community resilience strategies in the 21st Century; and,
7. explain why socially-equitable development can ultimately be viewed as a long-term strategy for prosperity.