A spectrum of methods for a spectrum of risk: Generating evidence to understand and reduce urban risk in sub‐Saharan Africa

Abstract

Many African towns and cities face a range of hazards, which can best be described as representing a “spectrum of risk” of events that can cause death, illness or injury, and impoverishment. Yet despite the growing numbers of people living in African urban centres, the extent and relative severity of these different risks is poorly understood. This paper provides a rationale for using a spectrum of methods to address this spectrum of risk, and demonstrates the utility of mixed‐methods approaches in planning for resilience. It describes activities undertaken in a wide‐ranging multi‐country programme of research, which use multiple approaches to gather empirical data on risk, in order to build a stronger evidence base and provide a more solid base for planning and investment. It concludes that methods need to be chosen in regard to social, political economic, biophysical and hydrogeological context, while also recognising the different levels of complexity and institutional capacity in different urban centres. The paper concludes that as well as the importance of taking individual contexts into account, there are underlying methodological principles – based on multidisciplinary expertise and multi‐faceted and collaborative research endeavours – that can inform a range of related approaches to understanding urban risk in sub‐Saharan Africa and break the cycle of risk accumulation.

Complementarity of formal and informal actors and their networks in support of vulnerable populations in informal settlements: Governance diaries approach

“…While not primarily focusing on complementarity, an intervention research program on maternal and child health-the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PAMANECH) in Korogocho and Viwandani slums-implemented between 2012 and 2016 increased the capacity of private health facilities in the slums to provide basic emergency obstetric care and significantly reduced home deliveries, by bringing together local health service providers and officials of Ministry of Health in a complimentary than adversarial relationship (56). Further, as part of the search for pathways to address the challenge of health inequity between slum and non-slum urban dwellers, another study highlights the complementary roles of mobile outreach services and implementation research studies in expanding healthcare access to hard-to-reach but vulnerable groups in informal settlements beyond public facilities and other traditional service delivery models (57,58). It suggests like our current study, the potential promise of nontraditional service delivery models that are convenient and adaptable to specific contexts in bridging service access and utilization deficits among disadvantaged populations.…”

Uncertain pasts and risk-sensitive futures in sub-Saharan urban transformation

“…For example, Urban ARK researchers supported the formation of the Nairobi Urban Risk Partnership, the formation of DRM committees in Mzuzu and the establishment of a city stakeholders' platform on risk reduction in Ibadan, with the aim of developing a city risk reduction action plan. Furthermore, gaps in data and monitoring capacities require urgent attention and there is considerable potential for community-collected and owned data to help narrow this gap (Dodman et al, 2018).…”

“…Using the above framework as a critical lens, the chapter now considers blockages and opportunities for transition towards risk-sensitive and transformative urban development through the four case study cities -Karonga, Ibadan, Nairobi and Niamey. Dodman et al (2019) provide a detailed overview of the range of methods used across the programme for understanding the spectrum of risks in each study city. Here we have synthesised findings from studies in each city where multiple data types and results from a range of methods are used.…”

Developing a programme theory for a transdisciplinary research collaboration: Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health

“…In a related effort to break the cycle of risk accumulation across sub-Saharan African cities, Dodman and colleagues provide a rationale for using a spectrum of methods to address a spectrum of risks, demonstrating in a wide-ranging multicountry programme of research the utility of mixed-methods approaches in planning for resilience 58 . They galvanised multidisciplinary expertise and multifaceted and collaborative research to gather empirical data and build a strong evidence base covering social, political, economic, biophysical, and hydrogeological systems in cities to provide a more solid base for planning and investment.…”