The Community Capacity Co-design Process (C3P): A framework for hyperlocal community-led disaster preparedness

This paper presents the Community Capacity Co-design Process (C3P), a trauma-informed, seven-step framework that enables communities to localise and evaluate their own disaster response capacities. It functions as a flexible, participatory framework to overcome these challenges. By shifting from fixed-format, standardised curricula to a trauma-informed Participatory Learning and Action approach, the C3P enables local communities to collaboratively select, localise, and evaluate the specific disaster response capacities that align with their unique strengths and vulnerabilities.

The practicality of the C3P process was demonstrated through its application in seven case studies in Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand. Participant feedback confirmed high approval of the workshop activities and a descriptive increase in self-reported individual response capability. Furthermore, the variance in localised capacities across the case studies shows that, when enabled by a flexible framework, communities actively tailor their preparedness toolkits rather than default to standardised formats.This research shows that the C3P strengthens the facilitating social context required for extending (Type III) and emergent (Type IV) community-led disaster response initiatives. By enhancing local capacities and social capital, the framework aligns these endeavours with the characteristics of a cohesive Disaster Management System of Systems.