Community profiling to support inclusive urban community-based climate adaptation: experiences of a survey-based approach in urban informal settlements in Honiara, Solomon Islands

ABSTRACT

Urban centres in the Pacific region are fast growing, with cities presenting as complex sites of risk and vulnerability. Within these cities, urban informal settlement communities are often some of the most vulnerable to climate change and impacts and urban climate planning needs to explicitly consider the priority needs of these often-marginalized communities if strategies are to be equitable. Hence, inclusive urban community-based adaptation is now a critical component of overall adaptation. In support of this important urban agenda, this paper describes a community profiling method that was developed to elicit key contextual data in support of locally appropriate climate action planning for informal settlements in Honiara, the capital city of Solomon Islands. The paper details the methodology that was developed, and uses a sample dataset to demonstrate the breadth and richness of the constructed community profile and the insights it reveals about community vulnerabilities. The paper argues that the proposed community profiling method offers organizations and practitioners invested in local engagement a practical tool to inform locally driven, climate resilient urban planning and development and can be translated for use in other Global South contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban climate resilience
• community-based adaptation
• community profiling
• surveys
• urban informal settlements
• Solomon Islands
• Pacific

Acknowledgements

The survey was conducted using ESRI technologies provided by Cadasta Foundation (USA) as part of a pilot project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Solomon Islands Institutional Strengthening of Land Administration Project (SIISLAP) was funded by the Australian Aid program and ran from 2000 to 2007.

2 Fixed Term Estate (FTE) and Temporary Occupancy License (TOL) are the main forms of documentation/titling issued in Honiara to provide tenure security. TOLs are a form of temporary land title in that it is a formal document issued by the Commissioner of Lands that enable the public to temporarily access state land for housing – the license is valid for a period of three years and must be renewed. Legally, holders of TOLs need to make annual rental payments to the government to maintain their right of occupation although, these payments – as well as license renewals – are often defaulted on without occupants being evicted. FTEs are considered a form of permanent title issued by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey for a period of 75 years. TOLs can be converted into FTEs in eligible informal settlements if all rental arrears are paid.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by UNFCCC Adaptation Fund.

Notes on contributors

Serene Ho

Serene Ho is a Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow. Her research is focused on the urban poor, where she researches land rights and human rights in digitalisation projects in India, as well as issues of land, gender and climate resilience in the Pacific.

Mariana Dias Baptista

Mariana Dias Baptista is an urban forester and Research Associate in the Horizon2020 CONEXUS project, which seeks to understand and demonstrate nature-based solutions in partnership with seven cities in Latin America and Europe.

Darryn McEvoy

Darryn McEvoy is a Research Professor in Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation. He acts as Chief Investigator to a number of urban climate resilience projects in the Pacific region.