Putting Urban Resilience in Geographical Context: The Case of City Regions in Hainan, China, in the Wake of COVID-19 and Beyond

Guo Chen () and Qianlin Chen
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Guo Chen: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Qianlin Chen: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-31

Abstract: Urban resilience has gained significant further attention since the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in various assessments comparing cities’ ability to respond to, and recover from, diverse shocks. This paper responds to the call for grounding urban resilience in context by examining a case study of the city regions on the island of Hainan Province, China, following the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. After content analysis to trace the lineage of urban resilience in the Chinese context, an exploratory study, including analysis and mapping of statistical data, was conducted to examine the city’s economic and social performance from 2018 to 2021 and beyond. Our study suggests a largely positive trend in the bouncing back and forward of city regions shortly after the pandemic began, as well as a rural–urban gap and growing regional disparities that need to be addressed to enhance resilience for all. This study provides a contextualized understanding of Hainan as it navigates pandemic stresses and builds capacities during state-supported structural transformations in its development as a free trade port. Furthermore, this study suggests a valuable city region analytical lens and a geographical perspective for implementing the urban resilience concept and building urban resilience efforts in China and elsewhere.

Keywords: COVID-19; resilience; urban resilience; economic resilience; social resilience; resilience capacity; China; Hainan; geography; city regions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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