OUR MOST VULNERABLE / cLIMATE cHANGE + THE uRBAN pOOR

DECEMBER 5, 2018 / 5 minute read + 10 minute video

A Double-Edged Sword

When I was first applying for a Valle scholarship, I was most drawn to the concept of architecture shaped by water culture. I proposed to look at as many buildings forming a meaningful relationship to water as I could in Scandinavia, and even in the Netherlands. A wide range of examples, I saw a floating kayak club in Vejle, harbor baths in Copenhagen, an inlet arena in Aarhus, water districts in Stockholm and Malmö, a buoyant pavilion in Rotterdam, and even entire floating neighborhoods in Amsterdam. While it’s been wonderful to study and see these projects in person, it’s made me think about the double edged sword of building in proximity to such an erratic element, and who suffers the most as a result. Water is not just a beautiful view, but a dynamic, powerful force that can act as an asset or a detriment. What is seen as beautiful and leveraged in some areas of the world for economic benefit, is destructive and protected against in other areas for preservation. Low-lying areas become a slave to volatile water patterns of heavy rains, river-floods, and coast-floods - so who are the people living on this vulnerable land?

Bearing the Brunt

When looking at the global scale, it is the world’s poor that have built informal settlements on this precarious terrain. Because the poor typically settle in areas undesirable to others, such as steep hillsides, flood-plains, and coastal zones, they are the ones that must bear the brunt of changing weather patterns and natural hazards. Unfortunately, these are also the communities (which applies to about 1 billion people worldwide (Baker 8)) that have the least adaptive capacity to cope with climate change, often lacking basic infrastructure and services (Baker 27). A heavy rain that might seem like a simple inconvenience for most in the developed world becomes a disaster to these communities, resulting in the destruction of their home (often the most valuable asset), halt economic activity, contaminate water supply, lead to disease, and displace populations (Baker 13). Water shortages, on the other hand, increase food prices and whatever is stored during droughts have a higher risk of being contaminated due to lack of appropriate infrastructure. Global warming becomes particularly harmful to these communities. Heat waves present occupational hazards for low-income residents reliant on outdoor labor (Baker 39), and the rise of local ambient temperatures worsen vector-borne and water-borne diseases highly sensitive to changing temperatures (Baker 63). Worst yet, the irregular street networks and minimal open space characterized in urban “slums” not only create poorly ventilated areas and living conditions, but also impede relief efforts in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or a flood (Baker 52). Below is a now 7-year-old video highlighting the biggest issues that Mexico’s urban poor face in regards to climate change.

Taking Matters into their Own Hands

Communities in Dar es Salaam, Mexico City, Jakarta, and Sao Paulo recognize that there is little reliance on the government for aid, and are practiced in preparing for and withstanding storms. These ad hoc coping techniques draw on local knowledge of hazards and community resources. This often includes creating small barriers to prevent water from entering homes, creating openings to channel flood waters through homes as quickly as possible, or raising homes on stilts to accommodate rising waters or land subsidence (Baker 69). While these strategies may save lives and assets in the short run, the unregulated nature creates possibilities for maladaptation and negatively impact future generations. For example, one poorly built structure can trigger a collapse of multiple homes, or building in ravines can disrupt where water naturally flows and cause water damage to neighborhoods.

A Culture of Camaraderie

A piece of research that I found to be very intriguing is the formation of “urban slum pockets”. These are areas in the city that have taken over empty space due to a need to be near their place of employment. Because individuals in these communities provide services for higher-income households, they may have a slightly higher adaptive capacity than in rural locations. Traditionally, these populations have strong social networks and kinship ties that have created stronger and more resilient communities (Baker 67). In times of crisis, those affected by flooded homes take refuge in churches and with friends, charitable citizens provide basic needs for the evacuees, and police protect their homes. There is a rather sophisticated level of community response and a culture of camaraderie. The urban poor have a proven capacity to improve and invest in their communities, and a character of adaptation (United Nations Climate Change).

Urban Burden Turned Urban Guardian

Often these informal settlements that spread out onto urban parks, forests, waterways, and wetlands are seen as posing threats to natural resources and are displaced and relocated, especially after floods. What if instead of displacing these communities, they are given the space to act as caretakers? What if the higher-income residents became investors in the adjacent developments for their employed domestic workers? What if risk assessments are carried out by the poor themselves to assist cities in initiating planning for adaptation and risk reduction (as seen in Cuttack, India, (Baker 77))? How can these developments act as a tool for communication and climate change education to the public? With the population living in informal settlements around the world increasing by about 25 million per year (Baker 27), exposure to the devastation of climate change is worsening exponentially. It is worth investing our finances and design energy to these communities that are the first-hand experts of resiliency. At an urban level, there are opportunities to include and even empower the individuals living in these conditions to protect their homes and contribute to the well-being of the city.

Resources

Baker, Judy L., and World Bank. Climate Change, Disaster Risk, and the Urban Poor : Cities Building Resilience for a Changing World. Urban Development Series (Washington, D.C.). Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2012.

https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/urban-poor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUIlM16jbIg