Resilience Building in Small and Medium-Sized Cities: Pathway Innovation Based on Existing Governance Resources

Abstract

Constrained by their resource endowments and financial capacities, small and medium-sized cities find it difficult to replicate the high-investment resilience building models of large cities. How to explore low-cost resilience pathways under resource constraints has become an urgent issue to be addressed. This paper employs collaborative governance theory to examine how local governments in small and medium-sized cities can utilize existing governance resources to enhance their risk resistance capabilities. However, in practice, problems such as the absence of key actors, resource fragmentation, and a lack of collaborative rules—collectively referred to as "collaborative failure"—commonly exist, which prevents the existing stock of resources from being transformed into resilience efficiency. This paper constructs a three-dimensional collaborative governance mechanism framework comprising "stakeholder mobilization, resource sharing, and rule guarantee," and elaborates on the role positioning of multiple actors, the three-dimensional allocation path of resources, and the key role of institutional guarantee, thereby providing theoretical references and practical guidance for small and medium-sized cities in exploring resilience building pathways.