Equitable Resilience Builder

Supports communities in resilience planning with a focus on equity

Increasing resilience to disasters and climate change is an increasing challenge for communities. The Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB) is an application that supports communities in resilience planning with a focus on equity. It engages users in a guided process to inclusively assess local hazards, equity, and the resilience of built, natural, and social environment systems. The ERB is organized into five sections. Each section contains activities such as participatory mapping, storytelling, participatory indicator assessment, and action planning. Results can be used to collaboratively prioritize actions to build community resilience in an equitable way.

On this page:

• Who Could Use ERB?
• Tool Download
• Resources for Coders
• How to Use ERB
• What is Equitable Resilience?
• More About the Science
• Related Resources
• Technical Support

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Who Could Use ERB?

• State, tribal, territorial, county, or municipal government agencies in environment, public health, emergency management, public works, or land use.
  • Example: A county needs to update their hazard mitigation plan.
• Community-based organizations for climate, environmental, or social justice.
  • Example: A faith-based organization coordinates disaster preparedness sessions.

Tool Download

ERB can be downloaded from the link to the zip file in the table below. For further instructions on downloading and opening the software, please refer to the ERB User Guide, also linked in the table below. The ERB application is compatible with Windows operating systems (both desktop and laptop computers). The application is not compatible with tablets or mobile devices. 

Downloading the application creates a file structure on your laptop. All of your work in ERB will be saved in this file structure. There will not be any way for EPA to access these files or view any data you input.

Date	Tool Files for Download
11/07/2024	Equitable Resilience Builder v1.0.2 (zip)  (ERB 1.0.2)
01/30/2024	Equitable Resilience Builder v.1.0.1 (zip) (ERB 1.0.1)
11/21/2023	Equitable Resilience Builder (zip)  (ERB 1.0)
08/09/2024	Equitable Resilience Builder for MAC OS (zip)
12/1/2023	ERB User Guide (ERB 1.0)

Download Instructions

Windows Versions:

1. Click on the file version you would like above in the table to initiate a download.
2. Download the zip file to your computer.
3. Unzip the zip file to a new folder in a location of your choosing. This might take a few minutes.
4. Open the new, unzipped folder. The default folder name will be ERB_V1.0.1.
5. In the ERB_V1.0.1 folder, you will see three sub-folders (app, lib, runtime) and two standalone items (erb.exe and erb.ico). Click on erb.exe.
6. It might take a few minutes to load. Once it loads, you should see the ERB landing page on your screen (see User Guide, Section 3.1) and the ERB icon on your taskbar (see User Guide, Figure 2-1).

Mac OS Version:

1. Click on the file version you would like above in the table to initiate a download.
2. Download the zip file to your computer.
3. Unzip the zip file to a new folder in a location of your choosing. This might take a few minutes.
4. Double click the file ERB.app to run on a Mac.
5. Once it loads, you should see the ERB landing page on your screen (see User Guide, Section 3.1) and the ERB icon on your taskbar (see User Guide, Figure 2-1).

Troubleshoot Downloading

If there is trouble downloading and installing the tool, try the following:

• Check for institutional firewalls
• Check to see if pop-ups are blocked
• Try a different browser
• Check security settings for downloading and opening tools
• Save the zip file to the C drive instead of a shared drive (e.g., OneDrive, Sharepoint)
• Look at the logs. Navigate to the folder containing the erb.exe file. Double click into the lib directory. From there, double click into ERB directory. Then double click into the Logs directory. There will be a .log file for each of the following levels:
  • Severe: Serious failure
  • Warning: May be an issue
  • Info: Information messages
  • Fine: Tracing information for an error
  • Finer: Detailed tracing information for an error.

Resources for Coders

Calling all coders - collaborate with EPA! Access the ERB code on GitHub and get involved with the open source coding effort.

EPA's GitHub site for ERB

How to Use ERB

The ERB is organized into five sections: Plan, Engage, Assess, Strategize Actions, and Move Forward.

• Plan - users will assemble a core team that is representative of the community. The team will then establish goals for their ERB project.
• Engage - users will identify community connections and prepare an engagement plan.
• Assess - users will identify who is most impacted by current or future hazards. They should determine why and how they are impacted. Users will then discuss local assets and strengths. Finally, they will determine how resilient local built, natural, and social environment systems are.
• Strategize Actions - users will brainstorm and prioritize actions.
• Move Forward - users will implement actions, monitor them for change, and maintain their partnerships.

The video below provides an overview of the ERB application and walks through examples of community building and engagement techniques that center equity in resilience planning. Download instructions and a demonstration of the tool are also covered in the video, starting around minute 11:00.

What is Equitable Resilience?

Equitable resilience describes the capacity to withstand, respond, adapt, and transform in the face of climate change and disasters in ways that are culturally appropriate, participatory, and enhances the resilience of the community, not just individual resilience. Equitable resilience acknowledges deeply rooted social forces that affect how community members are made vulnerable to disaster and climate risk, may experience cascading consequences of incidents, and bear disproportionate benefits burdens of actions to increase resilience.

Hazard

What is it? 
Any type of danger that a community might experience now or in the future, such as a flood, drought, pandemic, chemical spill, and a changing climate.

Why is it important?
It answers "to what" in resilience planning. To what hazards does your community need resilience? Some places may be at greater risk today from earthquakes, others from heat waves as the climate changes.

Social Vulnerability

What is it?
Some social and cultural groups suffer from greater, longer-lasting, negative impacts from disasters and climate change than others. The root causes of why this pattern exists reflect historic social or environmental inequalities.

Why is it important?
It answers "who" in resilience planning. Who is most affected by the hazards your community faces, and who might need the most help if a disaster occurs?

Equity

What is it?
A fair and just process that allows for groups to have meaningful representation in decisions and a significant share of benefits?

Why is it important?
It answers "how" in resilience planning. How do we build community resilience in a fair and just way? This means listening to diverse perspectives in decision-making, focusing on the needs of those who have been made most vulnerable, and making sure the benefits and costs of resilience actions are distributed fairly.

Community Resilience System

What is it?
Community resilience is the ability for a local group or place to withstand, recover, adapt, and transform in the face of disasters and climate change. It is supported by social, built, and natural environmental systems.

Why is it important?
It answers "what" in resilience planning. What systems are already help us face current or future hazards? What do we need to do to make social, built, and natural environmental systems become more resilient?

Learn More About the Science

1. Fry, M., K. Maxwell, E. Eisenhauer, S. Julius, B. Kiessling, M. Matsler, M. Ollove, S. Romanoski (2023). Centering equity in the development of a community resilience planning resource. Climate Risk Management 40:100520.


2. Eisenhauer, E. AND J. Finley. Equitable Resilience to Flooding: A resource for practitioners on understanding economic, health, and social vulnerabilities and inequities in response and recovery. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, EPA/600/R-23/214, 2022.


3. Maxwell, K. (2018). A coupled human-natural systems framework of community resilience. Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research 8 (1-2): 110-130. 


4. EPA (2017). Evaluating Urban Resilience to Climate Change: A Multi-Sector Approach. Washington, D.C. EPA/600/R-16/365F.

Related Resources

• EJ Screen - Environmental justice mapping and screening tool based on nationally consistent data and approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports.
• EnviroAtlas - Provides geospatial data, easy-to-use tools, and other resources related to ecosystem services, their chemical and non-chemical stressors, and human health.
• Smart Growth Strategies for Disaster Resilience and Recovery - Projects and tools that help communities incorporate strategies to improve quality of life and direct development away from vulnerable areas into their hazard mitigation plans.
• Environmental Resilience Tools Wizard - Online wizard that helps find the right EPA resources and tools to address environmental concerns in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Technical Support

• For comments, questions, or feedback about the ERB, email CESER@epa.gov. 
• Virtual trainings are planned for 2024. Training dates will be posted on this page when they are scheduled.
• Join the mailing list: sign up to receive ERB updates & news.