Four Principles of Transformative Adaptation to Climate Change‐Exacerbated Hazards in Informal Settlements
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12929583 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ben Howard (0000-0003-4010-8131, Imperial College London, corresponding author), Simon Moulds (0000-0002-7297-482X, University of Edinburgh), Samuel Agyei‐mensah (0000-0002-6418-393X, University of Ghana), Khadiza Tul Kobra Nahin (BRAC University), Zahidul Quayyum (0000-0002-2276-4576, BRAC University), Brian Robinson (0000-0002-8972-8318, McGill University), Wouter Buytaert (0000-0001-6994-4454, Imperial College London) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1757-7780 • E-ISSN: 1757-7799 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/wcc.70008 |
| PMID | 40687121 |
| OpenAlex | W4410133898 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 93 |
Residents of urban informal settlements are among the most at-risk of climate change-exacerbated hazards. Yet, traditional approaches to adaptation have failed to reduce risk sustainably and equitably. In contrast, transformative adaptation recognizes the inextricable nature of complex climate risk and social inequality, embedding principles of social justice in pathways to societal resilience. Its potential for impact may be greatest in informal settlements, but its application in this context introduces a new set of challenges and remains largely aspirational. To address this missed opportunity, in this focus article we provide clarity on how transformative adaptation can manifest in informal settlements. Although context-dependency precludes the formulation of specific guidelines, we identify four principles which are foundational to its deployment in these settings. Acknowledging constraints, we define levels of achievement of the principles and suggest how they might be reached in practice. Achieving transformative adaptation in informal settlements is complex, but we argue that it is already achievable and could represent a prime opportunity to accelerate the rate of adaptation to build a climate resilient society
Adaptation (eye · Archaeology · Biology · Climate change · Climate change adaptation · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental ethics · Environmental planning · Geography · Hazard · Human settlement · Informal settlements · Political science · Settlement (finance · Sociology · Transformative learning · Philosophy · Psychology · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Ecology
Transformational adaptation when incremental adaptations to climate change are insufficient
Transformation, adaptation and development
Sociohydrology
Incorporating Land Tenure Security into Conservation
Property rights for the poor
The three-dimensional causes of flooding in Accra, Ghana
Collaborating With Communities
Navigating the continuum between adaptation and maladaptation
A global assessment of actors and their roles in climate change adaptation
Strengthening community-based adaptation for urban transformation
Climate Change 2014 Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability
Integrating social protection and climate change adaptation
Community Land Trusts as a Means to Improve Health
Building Resilience to Climate Change in Informal Settlements
A framework for complex climate change risk assessment
Sanitation investments in Ghana
Nexus approaches to global sustainable development
The wider the gap between rich and poor the higher the flood mortality
The urban south and the predicament of global sustainability
Institutional challenges to climate risk management in cities
Defining and advancing a systems approach for sustainable cities
Toward transformative climate justice
The framing of power in climate change adaptation research
Affective adaptation = effective transformation? Shifting the politics of climate change adaptation and transformation from the status quo
Collective Property Rights and Social Citizenship
Supporting local climate change adaptation
Transformative adaptation to climate change for sustainable social-ecological systems
The myth of urban poor climate adaptation idiosyncrasy
Knowledge is power – informal communities assert their right to the city through SDI and community-led enumerations
Developing risk or resilience? Effects of slum upgrading on the social contract and social cohesion in Kibera, Nairobi
The impact of participatory budgeting on basic services
Regularizing land tenure within upgrading programmes in Argentina; the cases of Promeba and Rosario Hábitat
Implementing the urban reform agenda in Brazil
From everyday hazards to disasters
No time to waste” in applying the lessons from Latin America’s 50 years of housing policies
Vulnerability of informal settlements in the context of rapid urbanization and climate change
Equity Impacts of Urban Land Use Planning for Climate Adaptation
Land tenure and investment incentives
Climate urbanism through the lens of informal settlements
Towards more sustainable responses to natural hazards and climate change challenges via transformative adaptation
Property rights in informal settlements
Urban induced-displacement of informal settlement dwellers
Compound urban crises
Brutal presence or convenient absence
A spectrum of methods for a spectrum of risk
Open data for informal settlements
"Implementing "from here to there
Moving in and out of vulnerability
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |