The role of collective and individual assets in building urban community resilience

Abstract

This paper explores how organised urban communities in Bangkok are planning for and responding to environmental and other crises, to identify approaches to fostering more sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban development. Lower-income residents may not have access to support systems such as disaster insurance, so being able to use existing assets can offer an opportunity for successful coping and adaptation strategies to future shocks. The study explores what actions are taken by lower-income residents to cope and adapt using their individual and collective assets in response to current and future hazardsespecially in contexts where social capital is strong from a history of collective slum upgrading. It shows that such asset-based approaches can be an entry point for cooperation between these communities and other stakeholders, including local government, local NGOs and others, and there is scope to further strengthen asset-based adaptation approaches through legal and institutional measures.

Survey paper: achievements and perspectives of community resilience approaches to societal systems

“…In my discussion, I include both urban and rural resilience within the category of community resilience despite their differences in meaning. Some scholars differentiated between "urban community resilience" (Archer et al 2020) and "rural community resilience" in their analysis (Wilson 2010). A similar relationship exists between community and regional resilience.…”

Inclusion in urban environmental governance of small and intermediary cities of the global South

“…In terms of local communities, Archer et al (2019) note that there are constraints to community action related to levels of asset ownership, differential priorities, social networks, and policy support, such as service provision. However, civil society actors, including grassroots networks like Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) and Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), have demonstrated the potential of community-led development to address infrastructure and housing needswith technical support from NGOs and professionals where necessaryincreasingly through co-production with the state, fostering new partnerships at the urban scale (Mitlin, 2018(Mitlin, , 2008Mitlin and Bartlett, 2018).…”

“…We add 'selfgovernance' (Joubert and Martindale, 2013) to the framework to signify a type of participation that has high visibility but less transformative outcomes. For example, while households in informal settlements develop coping mechanisms as a direct response to crises, long-term adaptation strategies may be adopted to a lesser extent (Archer et al, 2019).…”

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“…In terms of local communities, Archer et al (2019) note that there are constraints to community action related to levels of asset ownership, differential priorities, social networks, and policy support, such as service provision. However, civil society actors, including grassroots AESOP / YOUNG ACADEMICS NETWORK networks like Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) and Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), have demonstrated the potential of community-led development to address infrastructure and housing needs -with technical support from NGOs and professionals where necessary -increasingly through co-production with the state, fostering new partnerships at the urban scale (Mitlin, 2018(Mitlin, , 2008Mitlin and Bartlett, 2018).…”

“…We add 'self-governance' (Joubert and Martindale, 2013) to the framework to signify a type of participation that has high visibility but less transformative outcomes. For example, while households in informal settlements develop coping mechanisms as a direct response to crises, long-term adaptation strategies may be adopted to a lesser extent (Archer et al, 2019).…”