Participation and Urban Resilience in Post-Disaster Recovery Lessons from the 2021 Volcanic Eruption in La Palma (Spain)

Urban and territorial resilience are key to ensuring effective adaptation and recovery from disasters. However, the capacity of a community to adapt and flourish is contingent not only on the implementation of technical strategies and plans, but also on the level of its participation. Citizens’ involvement in the identification of issues, and the planning and implementation of solutions is crucial to the development of a resilient environment. It also ensures inclusiveness and effectiveness in promoting passive adaptation and initiative-taking transformation in the face of global changes and threats. This paper addresses these issues by focusing on the experience of the post-eruption recovery of the island of La Palma (Spain) in order to portray how the citizen participation worked and whether it incorporated elements of resilience in the reconstruction. The volcanic eruption in 2021 caused severe damage in many municipalities affected by the lava stream and set in motion a process that is leading to new urban and territorial configuration. Through the analysis of citizen participation together with planning tools, regulations and local dynamics, this study highlights the challenges related to the achievement of a resilient recovery. The case of La Palma reveals the extent to which incorporating resilience into post-disaster recovery requires an integrated approach involving technical, social, and environmental dimensions. Tracing the trajectory from the eruption until the citizen participation and subsequent reconstruction of what had been erased by the lava stream reveals the inadequacy of the spatial and social policies that failed to address critical aspects of the recovery process.