David King

Research work

Dr. David King's research work focuses on the social impacts of natural hazards and extreme events, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of vulnerable groups such as children, indigenous people, and the LGBTQ community in disaster response and recovery. He also studies integrated disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, as well as land use planning for disaster risk reduction.

Additionally, David is interested in building resilience in the built, natural, economic, and social environments, and understanding the impacts of disasters on individuals, families, and communities. He conducts vulnerability and capacity assessments and uses community mapping techniques for disaster risk reduction and recovery.

David also conducts post-disaster assessments for response and recovery and is interested in sustainable development and redevelopment in the aftermath of disasters.

Professional experience

David King is an Associate Professor of Geography in Earth and Environmental Sciences at James Cook University, and is Director of the Centre for Disaster Studies, formerly head of the Planning program. He is a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. He has worked in North Queensland for thirty two years and was formerly at the University of Papua New Guinea for ten years.

He began his career as a school teacher on the diamond fields of Sierra Leone, turning that experience into a doctorate on the social impact of the diamond rush. His research has gone on to specialise in social impact and evaluation in such areas as planning, natural hazard vulnerability, climate change adaptation and resilience, disaster mitigation and recovery, as well as the social impact of mining projects, development projects, and census analysis.

Education

BA honours and PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Cambridge University.

Areas of interest & scientific knowledge

Australia

Place of affiliation

Emergency and Disaster Management

Disaster Studies and Planning
Hazard Education and Awareness
Social Impact of Disasters
Disaster Vulnerability

Land Use Planning

Hazard Mitigation
Development Issues
Social Impact of Mining
Mine Impact of Society
Urban Planning

Resilience and Wellbeing

Minority Experiences
Climate Change Adaptation

Selected Publications

King D (2023) Controlling floods in megacities with no regrets. Nature Water. DOI: 10.1038/s44221-023-00032-5
King D (2022) Hearing Minority Voices: Institutional Discrimination Towards LGBTQ in Disaster and Recovery. Journal of Extreme Events, 8 (4).
Mejame Mejame P, King D, Banhalmi-zakar Z and He Y (2022) Circular economy: A sustainable management strategy for rare earth elements consumption in Australia. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 4.100157
Fu J, Dupre K, Tavares S, King D and Banhalmi-Zakar Z. (2022). Optimized greenery configuration to mitigate urban heat: A decade systematic review. Frontiers of Architectural Research, Volume 11, Issue 3, June 2022, Pages 466-491. Elsevier
King D (2021). Recipe 14: Evaluation of Potential Social Impacts. Pages 159-162 In Morrison-Saunders A and Pope J. Editors; Teaching Environmental Impact Assessment. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham UK, Northampton, USA
King D and Gurtner Y (2021) Focusing post-disaster research methodology: reflecting on 50 years of post-disaster research. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, October issue pp.32-39
Gurtner Y and King D (2021) Chapter 9. Travelling Safely in an Unsafe World – A Shared Responsibility, in Jeff Wilks, Donna Pendergast, Peter Leggat and Damian Morgan (Eds) Tourist Health, Safety and Wellbeing in the New Normal, Springer, New York
Gurtner Y and King D (2021) Socio-economic vulnerabilities to natural disasters and social justice. In: Editor: Taha Chaiechi Economic Effects of natural Disasters: theoretical foundations, methods and tools. Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier, London, UK, pp. 493-509
King D and Gurtner Y (2020) Planning for demographic change and population loss: land use planning for demographic change after disasters in New Orleans, Christchurch and Innisfail. In: Editors: Dávid Karácsonyi, Andrew Taylor, Deanne Bird Demography of Disasters: impacts for population and place. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 101-123
Li, Qian, Stoeckl, N, King, D, and Gyuris, E (2018) Using both objective and subjective indicators to investigate the impacts of coal mining on wellbeing of host communities: a case-study in Shanxi Province, China. Social Indicators Research, 137 (3). pp. 895-921.
Anh Le, Tuan, Cottrell, A, and King, D (2018) Using comparative historical analysis to compensate shortcomings of cross-sectional methods in explaining causal mechanisms: lessons from a study of rice farmers in Vietnam. International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 7 (6). pp. 1914-1935.
Vachette, A, King D and Cottrell A (2017) Bonding, Bridging and Linking Social Networks: A Qualitative Study of the Emergency Management of Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu. Asia Pacific Viewpoint DOI:10.1111/apv.12150
Li, Q, Stoeckl, N, King, D, and Gyuris, E (2017) Exploring the impacts of coal mining on host communities in Shanxi, China – using subjective data. Resources Policy, 53. pp. 125-134.
Dale, A P, Vella K, Potts R, Voyce B, Stevenson B, Cottrell A, King D, Babacan H, Boon H, Gooch M and Pert P (2016) Applying social resilience concepts and indicators to support climate adaptation in tropical North Queensland, Australia. In Jörg G. F. Knieling Ed. Climate Adaptation Governance in Cities and Regions: Theoretical Fundamentals and Practical Evidence. First Edition. John Wiley & Sons
King D. & Gurtner Y. (2016) Flooding Rains. In Edited by D. Molinari, F. Ballio, S.Menoni Practical flood damage data collection, storage and analysis: new insights from research and practice, , AGU Books, Wiley Blackwell, (in publication)
Boon H., Cottrell A. & King D. (2016) Disasters and Social Resilience. Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies, Taylor & Francis, London. eISBN 9781315678726
Box, P, Bird, D, Haynes, K, and King, D (2016) Shared responsibility and social vulnerability in the 2011 Brisbane flood. Natural Hazards, 81 (3). pp. 1549-1568
King D., Gurtner Y., Firdaus A., Harwood S. and Cottrell A. (2016) Land Use Planning For Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation: Operationalizing Policy And Legislation At Local Levels. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Special Issue, 7 (2). pp. 158-172
Nguyen, Thi Huong Tra, Boon, Helen J., and King, David (2016) Vietnamese coastal residents' awareness and attitude to climate change (A case study in Thinh Loc community, Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province). Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, 5 (1). pp. 31-44
Maguigad, V., D. King, & A. Cottrell (2015) ‘Political Ecology, Island Tourism Planning, and Climate Change Adaptation on Boracay, Philippines’, Urban Island Studies, 1:152-179
Tuan Le Anh, Cottrell A., & King D. (2014) Changes in Social Capital: A Case Study of Collective Rice Farming Practices in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Journal of Vietnamese Studies, Vol. 9, Issue 2, pps. 68-99
Bird, D.K., King, D., Haynes, K., Box, P., Okada, T. (2015). Sink or swim? Response, recovery and adaptation in flood affected communities. In: Eds. Palutikof, J., Boulter, S., Barnett, J. and Rissik, D. Wiley Applied climate change adaptation research., 395-406
King D., D. Bird, K. Haynes, H. Boon, A. Cottrell, J. Millar, T. Okada, P. Box, D. Keogh and M. Thomas. (2014) Natural disaster mitigation through relocation and migration: Household Adaptation Strategies and Policy in the Face of Natural Disasters. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 8 (2014) 83–90
Okada T., K. Haynes, D. Bird, R. van den Honert, D. King. (2014) ‘Recovery and resettlement following the 2011 flash flooding in the Lockyer Valley.’ International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Volume 8, June 2014, Pages 20–31
Miller J., Boon H., King D. (2014) Do wildfire experiences influence views on climate change? International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 7 (2)
King D., Apan A., Keogh D. and Thomas M. (2014) Adaptation and Resilience in Two Flood-Prone Queensland Communities. In Boulter S., Palutikof J., Karoly D. and Guitart D. Natural Disasters and Adaptation to Climate Change. National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Griffith University. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City
King D., S. Harwood, A. Cottrell & Y. Gurtner (2013) Land use planning for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: operationalizing policy and legislation at local levels. Input Paper, Prepared for the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015, ISDR, Geneva. (http://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/preventionweb
Bird D., Box P., Okada T., Haynes K. and King D. (2013) Response, recovery and adaptation in flood-affected communities in Queensland and Victoria. Australian Journal of Emergency Management 28 4 p36-43.
Bird, D, Govan, J, Murphy, H, Harwood, S, Haynes, K, Carson, D, Russell, S, King, D, Wensing, E, Tsakissiris, S & Larkin, S (2013) Future change in ancient worlds: Indigenous adaptation in northern Australia, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, 261 pp
King, D.1, Ginger J.2, Williams S.3, Cottrell A.1, Gurtner Y.1, Leitch C.2, Henderson D.2, Jayasinghe N.2, Kim P.2, Booth K.3,Ewin C.1, Innes K.1, Jacobs K.4, Jago-Bassingthwaighte M.1, Jackson L.1. (2013). Planning, Building and Insuring: Adaptation of Built Environment to Climate Change Induced Increased Intensity of Natural Hazards. 1 – Centre for Disaster Studies, James Cook University, 2 – Cyclone Testing Station, James Cook University, 3 - School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, 4 Housing and Community Research Unit, University of Tasmania. Pub. National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Griffith University
King, D., Bird, D., Haynes, K., Box, P., Okada, T. & Nairn, K. (2013) Investigating Factors that Inhibit and Enable Adaptation Strategies Following the 2010/11 Floods. A Final Report published by NCCARF, Griffith, Queensland
Altai Z, Stoeckl N and King D (2012) Impacts of water demand side policies on Mongolian residential users. Water Practice & Technology Vol 7 No 2 doi:10.2166/wpt.2012.032
Boon, HJ, Millar, J, Lake, D, Cottrell, A, King, D (2013) Recovery from Disaster: Resilience, Adaptability and Perceptions of Climate Change. National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast pp.467. ISBN: 978-1-921609-63-3
Boon, H J., Cottrell A, King D, Stevenson R B. & Millar J (2012) Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory for modelling community resilience to natural disasters. Nat Hazards (2012) 60:381–408
Thomas, M, King, D, & Fidelman, P (2012) Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Cities: Insights from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses. Volume 3, Issue 2. pp. 107-127.
Martins De Freitas, Debora, King, David, and Cottrell, Alison (2012) Fits and misfits of linked public participation and spatial information in water quality management on the Great Barrier Reef coast (Australia). Journal of Coastal Conservation . 17(2) DOI:10.1007/s11852-011-0167-y
Dale, A., Vella, K., Cottrell, A., Pert, P., Stephenson, B., Boon, H., King, D., Whitehouse, H., Hill, R., Babacan, H., Thomas, M., and Gooch, M. (2011) Conceptualising, evaluating and reporting social resilience in vulnerable regional and remote communities facing climate change in tropical Queensland. Report. Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, Cairns, QLD, Australia
Cottrell, Alison, King, David and Dale, Allan (2011) Planning for Uncertainty: Disasters, Social Resilience and Climate Change. Paper Presented in Track 20 (Climate Change, Risk, Adaptation and Planning) at the 3rd World Planning Schools Congress, Perth (WA), 4-8 July 2011
Thomas, Melanie & King, David (2011) The adaptive capacity of coastal cities vulnerable to climate change impacts: A case study of the 2008 Mackay floods, Queensland, Australia. Conference on Environmental Health 2011 - Resetting our Priorities, Salvador, Brazil
Keogh Diane U., Apan Armando, Mushtaq Shahbaz, King David & Thomas Melanie (2011) Resilience, vulnerability and adaptive capacity of an inland rural town prone to flooding: a climate change adaptation case study of Charleville, Queensland, Australia, Nat Hazards (2011) 59:699–723
Thomas, Melanie, King, David, Keogh, Diane, Apan, Armando and Mushtaq, Shahbaz. (2011), Resilience to climate change impacts: a review of flood mitigation policy in Queensland, Australia. AJEM 29, 11 p 8-17
Vella, K, Dale, A, Cottrell, A, Pert, P, Stevenson, B, Boon, H, King, D, Whitehouse, H, Hill, R, Babacan, H, Thomas, M, and Gooch, M (2011) Towards more effective adaptive planning: measuring and reporting social resilience in vulnerable coastal communities facing climate change in tropical Queensland. Proceedings of the 3rd World Planning Schools Congress In: WPSC 2011 3rd World Planning Schools Congress, 4-8 July 2011, Perth, WA, Australia.