Chapter 10: Learning From Co-Produced Landslide Risk Mitigation Strategies in Low-Income Settlements in Medellín (Colombia) and São Paulo (Brazil)

Adaptation strategies for people: mitigating climate-change-related risks in low-income and informal urban communities through co-production

“…The initial action-research experience in Pinares de Oriente was expanded to two further communities in Medellín (Table 1; Medellín, Phase 2) with a similar exposure to landslide risk due to their location on steep slopes, high above the city in the northeast sector. The aim of this research was to apply a refined methodology to neighbourhoods with different histories and community characteristics, to explore the potential for transferring this approach to different socio-economic and political contexts within the same city (Smith et al 2020b(Smith et al , 2021. The settlements chosen for this phase of the research included El Pacífico (in Comuna 8), a dense and consolidated neighbourhood, and Carpinelo 2 (in Comuna 1), a more recently settled and much less consolidated community (see Smith et al 2020b for further details).…”

“…Within this alternative approach, the co-production of risk management can be achieved through the implementation of a 'dialogue of knowledges' between diverse stakeholders in a specific territory, by creating a space for knowledge exchange and conflict resolution to allow negotiated agreements and solutions to be reached (e.g., Garcia Ferrari et al 2021, Smith et al 2020a, 2020b. This dialogue entails placing local knowledge on a level platform with technical and scientific knowledge, allowing actors such as community representatives, government institutions, NGOs, the private sector, and academia to collaborate and co-design strategies for risk management that are culturally and technically appropriate and accepted, and therefore sustainable.…”

“…Initial research in Medellín focused on the development of co-produced solutions to monitor and mitigate landslide risk in informal communities at the urban-rural city edge (Smith et al 2020a(Smith et al , 2020b(Smith et al , 2021. The research took place in the Pinares de Oriente neighbourhood, within Comuna 8, one of the low-income districts located high above the city in the north-eastern sector, where largely self-built communities have grown on steep slopes.…”

“…The research found that (1) community-based monitoring of landslide risk can be effective, but requires an ongoing and close link between the participating residents and the research team; (2) there is a need for local researchers and community leaders who are able to visit the area regularly and discuss the practicalities of data collection with the participants, as this provides 'a face' on the ground; (3) it is necessary to share with participants how the information is used and analysed across the involved national and international academic institutions to build trust; and (4) although the researchers and community members agreed upon the scale and ambition of the monitoring points, it proved to be challenging for community volunteers to cover all of these points on a regular basis, with some critical points receiving much lower attention than others, depending on the availability and interest of those undertaking the monitoring exercise (Smith et al 2020b). In terms of capacity building, rooted in the experiences and approach of the research project, the local NGO ConVivamos created a Hillside Neighbourhood School (Escuela de Barrios de Ladera) at the wider scale of Comuna 8, in collaboration with community leaders.…”

Internet of Things Geosensor Network for Cost-Effective Landslide Early Warning Systems

“…Landslide hazard is increasing year by year due to more intense and frequent rainfall as a consequence of climate change [1]. Additionally, secondary causes such as wildfires play an important role in promoting landslides [2].…”