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Abstract

Risk and disaster management planning derives from both technocratic and social approaches to addressing physical and social vulnerabilities. This project assesses social vulnerability, using various research methods, with a case study focus on the City of Richmond, British Columbia. The City of Richmond has a unique socioeconomic and demographic composition due to its high proportion of Chinese-speaking residents, and has played an important role as a cultural centre in the Chinese-speaking community of Metro Vancouver. With this in mind, this project has not only assessed general social vulnerability in Richmond but also has focused on its Chinese-speaking immigrants’ perceptions and knowledge of risk and disaster, as well as their experiences with it, to further reveal their hidden social vulnerability.