Including quality in Social network analysis to foster dialogue in urban resilience and adaptation policies

The capacities of organizational actors increase when they are linked in network relationships, especially when confronting complex problems such as climate change adaptation and the development of resilience. This Social Network Analysis (SNA) of organizations working on adaptation to climate change and resilience on the territory of Montreal was conducted to provide insights into the implementation of policies in these areas. The analysis reveals a fairly uniform network with organizational links gravitating around two poles: one focused on local action and the other on policy design. The density of relationships is weak overall, and there is medium centralization around the City of Montreal. While centralization is beneficial for coordination, a structure involving more distinct sub-networks linked to central actors by boundary (broker) organizations would improve prospects for innovation and efficiency. Analysis of the quality of relationships highlights important differences between what fosters good relations in each of the poles, reducing the chances that policies developed in the policy-oriented pole will be implemented in the action-oriented pole. Overall, this study emphasizes the relevance of network analysis in understanding prospects for policy implementation in complex areas such as resilience and climate change adaptation.