Elaine Paterson

Co-designing equitable resilience adaptations to environmental hazards for disabled and older people

It is dominantly accepted that the inherent vulnerabilities of the older generation and people living with long-term health conditions and disabilities, disproportionately affect their ability to adapt to climate related environmental hazards, such as flooding, storms and heatwaves. 

Increasingly, however, research indicates that with the appropriate support and resources, these population groups have the necessary skills, experience and capacity to adapt to climate-change induced environmental hazards. 

Utilising a positive health rhetoric, this project aims to collaborate with these population groups and local communities across Scotland, to create co-designed economic and physical regenerative nature-based solutions to recurrent climate related hazards. 

Through the showcasing of successful adaptation initiatives, the project intends to create sustainable adaptation pathways that have the potential to positively influence national policy in Scotland, and beyond.

Supervisor team: Dr Edward Hall and Dr Chris Lim