ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a discussion of methodological strategies and an example of an effective application in the field. Site mapping is a critical component in the disaster mitigation, risk reduction, response, and rebuilding toolkit. It is a participatory activity that can incorporate multiple voices to create action-oriented outcomes, such as evacuation drills, real-time threat monitoring and reporting mechanisms to improve survival chances, and resource protection strategies. Site mapping allows for professionals of various types, stakeholders, and local community members to identify areas of high risk, such as low-lying roads that are prone to flooding or slopes that are susceptible to landslides. Site mapping can counteract marginalizing forces by empowering local communities to improve capacities among demographic groups that have been labeled as both vulnerable and disempowered. Participatory action research (PAR) should be capacity building, which requires a human rights–based approach.
