The residents of informal settlements face a diverse range of urban risks, from climate and economic shocks to local pollution and the threat of eviction. This article explores these risks by conducting Participatory Hazard Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (PHVCA) in three informal settlements in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The assessment uncovers a variety of risks, which interact with each other and local vulnerabilities to produce complex risk profiles for residents. In this way, we highlight the importance of a holistic assessment of urban risk rather than focusing on single risks or specific sectors. The participatory approach also reveals household and community-level processes through which risks are experienced, negotiated and in some cases addressed, providing valuable insights into the ways vulnerable urban populations can be best supported. Keywords disasters / informal settlements / participatory methods / resilience / Southeast Asia / urban risk / vulnerability I. IntrodUCtIon Urban risk is complex and multi-scaled, encompassing issues ranging from global changes in climate to local changes in land use. Sources of risk can be environmental, socioeconomic, physical and political, and are often regarded as external influences on a city and its inhabitants, (1) such as extreme climate events or commodity price fluctuations. However, they may also be internal, such as land use change that has the potential for negative, unintended consequences. (2) Making sense of the multiple risks facing those living in informal settlements is critical from a policy perspective if communities are to be supported to overcome them. To this end, community-centred studies have proved crucial to uncover local experiences of risk. Such studies have identified the complex ways that physical stressors, such as natural hazards and climate change, affect residents in informal settlements. (3) These studies show, for example, how floods or rising sea levels have local impacts through their synergy with local conditions, such as the extent and quality of drainage coverage and changes in the built environment, to benjamin Flower is a research consultant for People in need. He works on the "building disaster resilient Communities in Cambodia" project, which is funded by the european Civil Protection and Humanitarian operations (eCHo) disaster Preparedness Programme.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.