SOCIAL RESILIENCE AS A THEORETICAL APPROACH TO SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

We are witnesses of problems caused by climate change and dramatic growth of
urban systems, which are increasingly being discussed and analyzed in political and academic circles. This rises the question of how social communities should deal with these problems, how they should overcome them and continue growing without suffering from psychophysical consequences. Social sustainability is an important concept that offers answers to this question. Besides that, the social resilience theory offers models for creation
of socially sustainable and healthy communities.
In this paper the concept of social sustainability and the social resilience theory
will be explored for the purpose of defi ning characteristics of resilient communities, for resilient communities are the only ones capable of responding and overcoming great social changes and natural disasters when faced with them.