Infrastructures of Hope: A Theoretical Model for Precarity, Radical Empathy, and Collective Hope in Post-Disaster Urbanism

Abstract

This article proposes a four-layer theoretical model-Infrastructures of Hope (IH)-that centers the flow Precarity-Radical Empathy-Collective Hope in post-disaster urbanism, moving beyond a purely engineering view of resilience. No empirical findings are reported. The contribution is threefold: (i) theoretical- articulating IH and introducing the directed chain precarity-radical empathy-collective hope to planning scholarship; (ii) methodological-offering a context-adaptable testability/reporting template (CFA-SEM flow, Panels A/B) and principles for adapting validated scales without new scale development; (iii) application/ policy-framing Collective Action Intention (CAI) as a candidate outcome/monitoring indicator. The model draws on Butler for precarity, Bloch for hope, and Nussbaum with Caswell & Cifor for radical empathy. Through contextual adaptation of validated instruments, IH enables testing of H1-H6 paths (hope, empathy, perceived precarity, CAI). The template recommends CFA for measurement and SEM for structural relations; mediation (H6) is expected along the Empathy-CAI route. A mixed-methods sequence combines qualitative exploration (ethnographic/participatory workshops, discourse/narrative analysis, observation) with quantitative testing (adapted surveys), operationalising indicators such as framing, representational equity, and vision/scenario cycles in the discursive and temporal layers. In practice, IH recommends: (i) aligning proximity/access, permeability, and flexibility with affective safety and belonging; (ii) institutionalising par-ticipation and co-governance; and (iii) sustaining inclusive framing through vision and scenario cycles. No new scale development is claimed; measurements are adapted via back-translation, expert review, and piloting. IH frames post-disaster spatial production as an ethical and affective social transformation and offers an operationally testable theoretical architecture.