Projects / Current Projects
Creating a Social Capital + Social Infrastructure Measurement Framework to benefit every Australian
KEY information
12-month project
completion December 2025
stakeholders
SAFECOM – lead agency
All Australian States and Territories
Bringing Professor Daniel Aldrich’s expertise to Australia
Contact our TeamResilient Ready will be funded under the national Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) Round #2 program to bring global disaster resilience expert Professor Daniel Aldrich’s data measurement to Australia.
In collaboration with lead agency SAFECOM, this 12-month project is an extension of the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) snapshot project delivered in 2024.
It will include input from all Australian States and Territories to create a national definition and measurement criteria about people connections and places where people connect.
It will also pilot Professor Daniel Aldrich’s social capital and social infrastructure heatmapping data sets in South Australia.
Pilot testing will be conducted in:
- Adelaide CBD
- Kangaroo Island
- Whyalla
Discover more about our Social Capital work here.
This is an exciting gamechanger for measuring resilience in Australia – the missing piece of the puzzle!
Renae Hanvin
CEO + Founder Resilient Ready
About this project
In Australia we currently do not have definitions for or measurements of social capital (people connections) or social infrastructure (places where people connect).
We must define what social capital and social infrastructure is to all Australians and enable relevant data to be embedded into the systemic risk approach.
This project will result in a ‘National Social Capital + Social Infrastructure Measurement Framework’ document which will articulate what social capital (people connections) and social infrastructure (places where people connect) mean to Australians in the context of systemic disaster risk.
In addition, it will provide pilot data mapping from Professor Daniel Aldrich’s social capital heatmapping (bonding, bridging and linking social ties) and social infrastructure mapping across three pilot communities in South Australia – Adelaide CBD, Kangaroo Island and Whyalla.
The Framework will address the current lack of definitions, and the heatmapping will provide a pilot outcome on the benefits of measurement.
With thanks to our funders
This program is funded under the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) Round 2 Grants program funded by the Australian Government and the South Australian Government.
Views and findings associated with this project are expressed independently and do not necessarily represent the views of State and Commonwealth funding bodies.
Frequently Asked Questions
This project will deliver:
- 2 x Visits to Australia by Professor Daniel Aldrich
- 1 x Establishment of a National Advisory Group
- 1 x National Social Capital + Social Infrastructure Measurement Framework report final document
- 3 x Engagement outreaches to each of the 3 pilot communities to source data gaps
- 1 x Pilot data heat map on social capital in all 3 pilot communities
- 1 x Pilot data map on social infrastructure in all 3 pilot communities
- 1 x IT data mapping tool to provide social capital and social infrastructure data from 3 pilot communities
- 1 x Framework and Data tool launch event
- 1 x Opinion Editorial from Professor Daniel Aldrich
- 1 x Lessons learned findings review report
- 6 x Project Progress Reports during project delivery
- 1 x Acquittal or Final Project Report
The State of South Australia and all other Australian States and Territories are committed to building resilience and reducing risks before, during and after disasters.
Currently there is no clear approach to measuring, investing in and embedding social capital and social infrastructure as a way to build disaster resilience.
This project will result in a national framework document to articulate what social capital (people connections) and social infrastructure (places where people connect) mean to Australians.
In addition, it will provide pilot data mapping from Professor Daniel Aldrich’s social capital heatmapping (bonding, bridging and linking social ties) and social infrastructure mapping across three pilot communities in South Australia – Adelaide CBD, Kangaroo Island and Whyalla.
The Framework will address the current lack of definitions, and the heatmapping will provide a pilot outcome on the benefits of measurement.
This project will benefit all Australians.
Development of the ‘National Social Capital + Social Infrastructure Measurement Framework’ will be considerate of all Australians.
Pilot testing of Professor Daniel Aldrich’s data will be focused on three pilot communities in South Australia – Adelaide CBD, Kangaroo Island and Whyalla.
Consideration of a national scale-up post this project will be embedded into the project delivery.
The ‘Creating a Social Capital and Social Infrastructure Measurement Framework to benefit every Australian’ project is funded under the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) Round 2 Grants Program funded by the Australian Government and the South Australian Government.
Views and findings associated with this initiative/project are expressed independently and do not necessarily represent the views of State and Commonwealth funding bodies.
This project will be led by Resilient Ready in collaboration with Professor Daniel Aldrich.
We thank our project steering committee including representatives from our lead agency collaborators, SAFECOM.
Interested in our social capital and social infrastructure work?
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