I2UD presented the first findings of its latest study on climate change and informal settlements at a research seminar in Mexico City in September hosted by the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy (LILP). “Increasing the Resilience of Informal Settlements to Climate Change in Two Latin American cities” examines the different natural hazards currently facing Condega (Nicaragua) and Cartagena (Colombia). This research was funded by the LILP with supplementary funding from the I2UD.
Many cities in the developing world have been taking a reactive approach to climate change, only addressing impacts when they become emergencies. However, the magnitude of climate-related hazards is escalating. In Central America, climate change is projected to raise sea levels, reduce precipitation, and increase air and seawater temperatures. Through a conceptual framework developed by the I2UD researchers, this report advocates an integrated view of strategic climate change adaptation planning that addresses the multiple dimensions of risk faced by informal settlements to increase their resilience. Cities must respond more proactively to these escalating climate impacts in order to prevent hazards from becoming disasters, tackling underlying causes of risk such as lack of land, unplanned urbanization, and limited infrastructure and resources.
In the two cities studied, urban development and the effects of climate change are tightly linked, with repercussions that are city-wide but place the greatest burden on the poor: Condega, Nicaragua, is situated in a section of a river basin at the confluence of two rivers and at the foot of steep hills; and Cartagena, Colombia, is a dense coastal city with large brackish wetlands. This report reviewed the actions pursued by each municipality to reduce climate change related risks in informal and lower-income settlements, and proposed land-based policies, instruments, and projects – some conventional and some more innovative – for both remedial and preventive adaptation measures. Improving the quality of life for the urban poor is particularly important, as they tend to suffer the most from climate change effects.
The conceptual framework developed by the I2UD researchers is based on the documentation of climate change effects and adaptation approaches by the International Panel on Climate Change, but focuses on risks in informal and lower-income settlements within three thematic areas: location and systems; people and the built environment; and institutional development and community empowerment. It incorporates basic guidelines and capacity development areas that apply fundamental principles found in current climate and urban planning literature to these settlements. This conceptual framework compliments the Institute’s mission to disseminate the best information available on urban development to decision-makers and citizens either by distance or in-person learning.
The culmination of a year of research in conjunction with partners in each city and field research by Cambridge staff, the study will be released in mid-2014.