Identifying factors contributing to social vulnerability through a deliberative Q-Sort process: an application to...

Area of Science:

• Climate Change Adaptation
• Public Health
• Social Vulnerability Assessment

Background:

• Extreme heat events pose increasing risks globally due to climate change.
• Expert assessments of heat vulnerability can be influenced by biases and power dynamics.
• Understanding social vulnerability is crucial for effective heat adaptation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a structured deliberative process for collaborative expert assessment of social vulnerability to extreme heat.
• To adapt elicitation approaches like Q-Methodology for group consensus-building on heat vulnerability.
• To identify key drivers of heat vulnerability in Taiwanese cities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a structured deliberative process involving collaborative expert assessment.
• Adapted Q-Methodology for group discussions and consensus-building.
• Employed collaborative sorting exercises to integrate local knowledge with evidence.

Main Results:

• Identified elderly individuals living alone, those over 75, pre-existing circulatory diseases, and community participation levels as significant drivers of heat vulnerability in Taiwan.
• Demonstrated the utility of collaborative Q-Methodology in organizing expert dialogue and fostering mutual learning.
• Highlighted the importance of strong facilitation in collaborative assessments to ensure inclusivity.

Conclusions:

• A structured, collaborative approach can enhance the reliability and inclusivity of expert-based vulnerability assessments.
• Specific demographic and social factors significantly influence heat vulnerability in the Taiwanese urban context.
• Integrating local and experiential knowledge through facilitated exercises is vital for comprehensive vulnerability analysis.