Relevance to Conference Theme The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus is of utmost importance to the resilience of any thriving community. Innovative and collaborative community-based solutions are needed to advance resilient local FEW systems. This presentation would be of interest to both scholars and practitioners. The theoretical framework of the study integrated the Community Capitals Framework, Second Nature, and 100 Resilient Cities. Based on data collected through 54 interviews and focus groups with stakeholders in Dayton (OH), the presentation will discuss perceived community based, collaborative, and innovative solutions to create resilient FEW systems. Lessons from Dayton could be transferable, especially in an urban context. The City endures impacts of economic decline, segregated neighborhoods, and many neighborhoods designated as food deserts. Dayton region also grapples with unpredictable seasonal weather events. The findings show that collaborative, local, and community-based initiatives could help build resilient FEW systems. Participants described how a community owned cooperative grocery store helped create food security in a previous food desert neighborhood. Participants recognized the importance of distributed solar based local energy initiatives to build basic resilience to extreme weather events and highlighted the importance of social capital in disaster recovery. Updating the city’s parks and green infrastructure, planting more trees, and protecting the city’s water sources were perceived as critical for adaptive resilience. Participants also described how innovative and collaborative community-based initiatives could transform the city’s food and energy systems to build long-term resilience. Examples of these initiatives using participant perceptions will be presented and discussed along with policy implications. Description for Conference Program The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus is of utmost importance to the resilience of any thriving community. Based on data collected through 54 interviews and focus groups with stakeholders in Dayton (OH), the presentation will collate perceived community based, collaborative, and local solutions that can build resilient FEW systems. Lessons from Dayton could be transferable in an urban context. The findings show that community based innovative initiatives could help build basic resilience, adaptive resilience, and transformative resilience. Examples include a community owned cooperative grocery store, urban greening, local food growing initiatives, and community solar initiatives among others.
