The Role of Place-Based Education in Strengthening Community Resilience against Climate Change

Abstract

Developing and establishing learning among community members can be identified as PlaceBased Education (PBE), a pro-sustainable educational approach defined as the process of using the local community and environment as the pedagogy for developing commitment to local places and local stakeholders (Sobel, 2004). This study focuses on efforts by residents to promote Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) as a case study and it contributes to the discussion on the role of PBE in strengthening community resilience. The case study site, Neshinden District in Nakazuma-cho, Joso City, is a low-lying area that stretches along the left bank of the Kinugawa River that is the site of many houses flooded above floor level during a 2015 flood. In April 2018, the Neshinden neighborhood association formed a voluntary disaster-prevention organization to foster a more disaster-resilient town. Although we found a need for further activities, such as passing on the memories of disasters and making residents more aware of the vulnerability of the residential areas, this relatively new neighborhood successfully nurtured spontaneous risk communication and learning activities. The experience suggested that the role of resilience education, a type of PBE, is invigorating community resilience with intersectional and intergenerational communication by fostering residents’ interest in DRR.