Resilience Engineering for Sustainability: Methodological Approaches and Practical Experience

Dear colleagues,

The concept of resilience is becoming increasingly recurrent among scholars and practitioners, but depending on the domain being investigated, its definition can be very different. In the domain of safety, Hollnagel has stated that “[…] The essence of resilience is therefore the intrinsic ability of an organisation (system) to maintain or regain a dynamically stable state, which allows it to continue operations after a major mishap and/or in the presence of a continuous stress” (Hollnagel, 2006). Since this definition is somehow compatible with the ones used in research on sustainability and ecology, this Special Issue aims to explicitly address the theoretical and operational connections (as well as differences) between the two concepts (i.e., sustainability and resilience). It is also suggested that techniques, methods, and models developed in the context of resilience engineering can constitute the basis for supporting sustainable development in a variety of domains (e.g., economy, construction, transportation systems, industrial plants, urban environment, etc.).

The purpose of this Special Issue is to gather state-of-the-art knowledge on resilience and sustainability, and to discuss innovative and long-term research paths. Such perspectives are expected to be of interest for both researchers and practitioners, in order to delve into the complexity of current and future socio-technical environments.

Conceptual and theoretical discourses exploring the concepts of resilience and sustainability for the analysis of socio-technical systems are welcome. Furthermore, relevant contributions may explore the usage of systemic methods and models typical of resilience engineering (e.g., functional resonance analysis method, resilience analysis grid, resilience early warning indicators) in socio-technical work environments, and in urban management, disaster response, and crisis management.

Prof. Giulio Di Gravio
Dr. Riccardo Patriarca
Prof. Francesco Costantino
Guest Editors

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