Creating the Conditions for Climate Resilience: A Community-Based Approach in Canumay East, Philippines

Abstract

People who reside in informal settlements in the Global South are most vulnerable to extreme weather events and their consequences, such as flooding, landslides, and fires. Those located in coastal areas face severe challenges from seasonal and typhoon-induced flooding. Research shows that uncertain land rights exacerbate community vulnerability because residents are under constant threat of eviction by private sector actors or the state. Individual and community upgrading is rarely possible in such a situation. This article focuses on the efforts to secure tenure and upgrade their community by the residents of Sitio Libis, located in Canumay East, City of Valenzuela, Philippines. The study demonstrates that while community-based approaches require skills and capacities of community members, enabling conditions created by government and/or NGOs are required for transformational outcomes. While the people of Sitio Libis did not conceptualize their efforts in terms of climate change adaptation, their success suggests the possibility for smart partnerships among state-civil society/private sector actors to emerge in support of small-scale climate action.

The “Dark Side” of Climate Action Planning

“…The territorial dimension of planning control also emerges in Global South cities when informal settlements are relocated in the name of climate change adaptation or preparedness. In Metro Manila, Philippines, decades of largely unplanned growth have intensified the region's vulnerability to climate change by supplanting the natural environment with a built environment that is highly susceptible to the adverse effects of extreme events (Cash 2021). Risks are heightened for the urban poor, especially residents living informally in flood-prone areas without secure land, adequate housing, or properly serviced communities (Cash 2021).…”

“…In Metro Manila, Philippines, decades of largely unplanned growth have intensified the region's vulnerability to climate change by supplanting the natural environment with a built environment that is highly susceptible to the adverse effects of extreme events (Cash 2021). Risks are heightened for the urban poor, especially residents living informally in flood-prone areas without secure land, adequate housing, or properly serviced communities (Cash 2021). Devastating flooding events in Manila have prompted efforts to upgrade the city's flood management infrastructure, leading to the relocation of thousands of informal households away from waterway embankments to resettlement sites where they have fewer livelihood resources to cope with impacts (Anguelovski et al 2016).…”