132
■
CLIMATE CHANGE, DISASTER RISK, AND THE URBAN POOR
it examines specific areas inhabited by the poor within three “hotspot” cities— Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, and Manila. Many studies have also attempted to explain why the poor continue to live in hazard-prone areas despite knowing that they are at risk—reasons being proximity to the workplace and unaffordable local transport networks. The disasterproneness of their housing is, in turn, reflected in its low pricing and maintenance (Lall, Lundberg, and Shalizi 2008; Bin et al. 2004, 2008). It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that the poor are helpless victims, unable to fend for themselves. In her study in San Salvador, Wamsler (2006, 2007) found that the slum dwellers she interviewed spent nearly 10 percent of their income on activities, like construction, related to disaster risk reduction. Wamsler concluded that vast differences exist in urban coping strategies that are not fully understood by the development community—which, she says, has so far focused on the rural poor. She also argues that urban coping strategies are more focused on housing construction and land issues than rural coping strategies. This needs to be explored further. A study that raises important questions for city planners was done by Jollands et al. (2005) in Hamilton City, New Zealand. The study found that the city’s infrastructure systems were not very responsive to gradual climate change, such as heat waves and drought. This was because the main potential vulnerability to climate change of the built environment has traditionally been associated with extreme events, such as floods and storms. However, as the large death toll following Europe’s 2003 heat wave demonstrated that gradual climate change can be as dangerous and life-threatening as sudden disasters and deserves as much attention. To conclude, the linkage of housing to climate change and DRR did not receive much attention in until very recently, especially in the context of developing countries. As a result, the published research has major gaps, even on basic details such as how many poor people living in cities face environmental risks as compared to the non-poor living in the same city or as compared to rural populations. A thorough examination of housing issues faced by the urban poor through the lens of climate change and DRR is required to gain knowledge of the specific challenges faced by the poor as a result of changing climate patterns and frequent extreme weather. Such an examination will also help lead to possible solutions to address the development challenges posed by climate change.
Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation Many reports already recognize that climate change adaptation is more urgent and fair than mitigation for cities in developing countries. The poor