Perceptions of Environmental Risks and Urban Resilience in Toronto and Vancouver

Adaptation and risk reduction plans are required to mitigate environmental risks. Governments and policy planners need to incorporate the public’s perceptions of environmental risks to create successful adaptation and risk reduction plans. This thesis seeks to understand how people pursuing environmental amenities in lakefront and coastal locations in Toronto and Vancouver perceive environmental risks and conceptualize resilience. An in-person survey (n=400) finds that participants from both cities view increasing resilience as more desirable than decreasing vulnerability. They favour increasing resilience through creative transformation. Resilience is perceived as unequal in both cities. Governments appear to have a role in affecting the participants’ perception of resilience within their city. These findings show that participants can identify elements of vulnerability and resilience to risks within the city that need to be addressed and demonstrate awareness of their governments’ actions on addressing environmental risks.