Local Initiatives in Community Resilience Amid Pandemic: Do They Matter?

Abstract

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the community have been felt globally and studies on transformation based on initiatives from local knowledge and culture are limited. This paper profoundly analyses how communities in Bali’s urban areas can build resilience amid the COVID-19 crisis through local initiatives. This paper uses reflections from systematic literature reviews that are supported by qualitative in-depth interviews with 20 informants on community resilience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuta and Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. We found that the urban community can learn from vulnerabilities and risks and then develop initiatives based on local knowledge, culture, or wisdom combined with information provided by the central or local authority. Cases of local initiatives in urban communities show that collective action arises due to social learning. The result is enhanced understanding, knowledge, and strengthened social interaction within the community to support community resilience in facing similar disasters.