Symbiosis theory based urban resilience evaluation under public health emergencies

The frequency and profound impact of public health emergencies (PHEs) has made assessing urban resilience under PHEs a crucial aspect of urban governance. In fact, effectively addressing PHEs requires close collaboration among social structures (governments, enterprises, social organisations, and residents). Hence, to explore the influence of the performance and collaboration of social structures on urban resilience, based on symbiotic theory, this study viewed social structures as symbiotic units and systematically analysed urban resilience in responding to PHEs. Corresponding to the three elements of symbiosis theory (symbiotic units, symbiotic relationships, and symbiotic environment), resistance, coordination, and adaptability – three dimensions were considered, and a comprehensive evaluation framework comprising 30 indicators was established. To address issues of subjectivity and uncertainty of evaluation, a data-driven weighting approach was proposed. Additionally, empirical analysis and spatial econometric analysis were undertaken on 18 prefecture-level cities and 3 autonomous prefectures of Sichuan Province, one of the worst-hit provinces during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, overall recommendations and specific suggestions for each study area were put forward to enhance resilience. This study is the first to assess resilience from the perspective of urban social structures, offering new insights for future urban resilience research and contributing to sustainable urban development.