Abstract
This chapter applies a justice framework to the complex of dilemmas between individual rights and the public good. It uses the case of the Wye River and Separation Creek Christmas Day 2015 bushfire in Victoria, Australia. Analysis of this event reveals the complex interactions of assumed, asserted and contested rights that play out before, during and after major destructive bushfire events, and their justice implications. The chapter suggests that there is a need to acknowledge and treat risks as complex manifestations of ongoing decisions over time; that existing emphases on individual property rights often erode the public good; that there is a need to set minimum standards in settlements; and that there is need to actively integrate individual and collective action to achieve risk justice.
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Notes
- 1.
We take the position that while rights are a foundational component of the public good, there are situations where the exercise of individual rights can undermine achievement of the public good.
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March, A., de Moraes, L.N., Stanley, J. (2020). Dimensions of Risk Justice and Resilience: Mapping Urban Planning’s Role Between Individual Versus Collective Rights. In: Lukasiewicz, A., Baldwin, C. (eds) Natural Hazards and Disaster Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0466-2_5
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