Individual, communal and institutional responses to climate change by low-income households in Khulna, Bangladesh

Haque, A.N., Dodman, D. and Hossain, M. 2014. Individual, communal and institutional responses to climate change by low-income households in Khulna, Bangladesh. Environment and Urbanization. 26 (1), p. 112–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813518681

TitleIndividual, communal and institutional responses to climate change by low-income households in Khulna, Bangladesh
TypeJournal article
AuthorsHaque, A.N., Dodman, D. and Hossain, M.
Abstract

The relationship between “coping” and “resilience” increasingly features in academic, policy and practical discussions on adaptation to climate change in urban areas. This paper examines this relationship in the context of households in “extreme poverty” in the city of Khulna, Bangladesh. It draws on a quantitative data set based on 550 household interviews in low-income and informal settlements that identified the extent of the underlying drivers of vulnerability in this setting, including very low income, inadequate shelter, poor nutritional status and limited physical assets. A series of focus groups were used to explore the ways in which physical hazards have interacted with this underlying vulnerability, as a means to understand the potential impacts of climate change on this particular group of urban residents. These outcomes include frequent water-logging, the destruction of houses and disruption to the provision of basic services. The main focus of the paper is on describing the practices of low-income urban residents in responding to climate-related shocks and stresses, placing these in a particular political context, and drawing lessons for urban policies in Bangladesh and elsewhere. A wide range of specific adaptation-related activities can be identified, which can be grouped into three main categories – individual, communal and institutional. The paper examines the extent to which institutional actions are merely “coping” – or whether they create the conditions in which individuals and households can strengthen their own long-term resilience. Similarly, it examines the extent to which individual and communal responses are merely “coping” – or whether they have the potential to generate broader political change that strengthens the position of marginalized groups in the city.

KeywordsBangladesh
climate change
poverty
resilience
urban
JournalEnvironment and Urbanization
Journal citation26 (1), p. 112–129
ISSN0956-2478
Year2014
PublisherSage
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813518681
Web address (URL)https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247813518681
Publication dates
Published in print2014
Published online05 Feb 2014

Related outputs

Advancements in Building Deconstruction: Examining the Role of Drone Technology and Building Information Modelling
Chukwumaobi Ibe, Andreea Serbescu and Mohataz Hossain 2023. Advancements in Building Deconstruction: Examining the Role of Drone Technology and Building Information Modelling. European Journal of Engineering Science and Technology. 6 (2), pp. 14-32. https://doi.org/10.33422/ejest.v6i2.1132

A Review of Using IoT for Energy Efficient Buildings and Cities: A Built Environment Perspective
Al-Obaidi, K.M., Hossain, M., Alduais, N.A.M., Al-Duais, H.S., Omrany, H. and Ghaffarianhoseini, A. 2022. A Review of Using IoT for Energy Efficient Buildings and Cities: A Built Environment Perspective. Energies. 15 (6) 5991. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15165991

Application of IoT and BEMS to Visualise the Environmental Performance of an Educational Building
Hossain, M., Weng, Z., Schiano-Phan, R., Scott, D. and Lau, B. 2020. Application of IoT and BEMS to Visualise the Environmental Performance of an Educational Building. Energies. 13 (15) 4009. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13154009

Thermal comfort guidelines for production spaces within multi-storey garment factories located in Bangladesh
Hossain, M.M., Wilson, R., Lau, B. and Ford, B. 2019. Thermal comfort guidelines for production spaces within multi-storey garment factories located in Bangladesh. Building and Environment. 157, pp. 319-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.04.048

Case study 6.4: Individual, communal and institutional responses to climate change by low-income households in Khulna, Bangladesh
Haque, A.N., Dorman, D. and Hossain, M. 2018. Case study 6.4: Individual, communal and institutional responses to climate change by low-income households in Khulna, Bangladesh. in: Rosenzweig, C., Solecki, W.D., Romero-Lankao, P., Mehrotra, S., Dhakal, S. and Ibrahim, S.A. (ed.) Climate Change and Cities: Second Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Cambridge Cambridge University Press.

Effect of changing window type and ventilation strategy on indoor thermal environment of existing garment factories in Bangladesh
Hossain, M., Lau, B., Wilson, R. and Ford, B. 2017. Effect of changing window type and ventilation strategy on indoor thermal environment of existing garment factories in Bangladesh. Architectural Science Review. 60 (4), pp. 299-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2017.1337557

Improving Thermal Performance of Workspaces: Ventilation design strategies for existing garment factories in Bangladesh
Hossain, M., Lau, B., Wilson, R. and Ford, B. 2016. Improving Thermal Performance of Workspaces: Ventilation design strategies for existing garment factories in Bangladesh. 32nd International PLEA Conference. Los Angeles, USA 11 - 13 Jul 2016

Illumination Conditions and Visual Comfort in Production Spaces of Ready-Made Garments Factories in Dhaka
Hossain, M. and Ahmed, K.S. 2013. Illumination Conditions and Visual Comfort in Production Spaces of Ready-Made Garments Factories in Dhaka. International Journal of Engineering Technology (IJET). 5 (5), pp. 587-592. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJET.2013.V5.623

Sustainable Approaches to Ensure Construction Safety: An Assessment on the Scopes of Health and Environmental Safety (HES) Management in Context of Dhaka City
Hossain, M. 2010. Sustainable Approaches to Ensure Construction Safety: An Assessment on the Scopes of Health and Environmental Safety (HES) Management in Context of Dhaka City. 2nd International Conference on ‘Construction in Developing Countries: Advancing and Integrating Construction Education, Research and Practice 2010’ - ICCIDC-II 2010. Cairo, Egypt 03 - 05 Aug 2010

Daylight Inclusion to Save Energy: An Observation on Luminous Environment of Residential Apartment Building in Context of Dhaka
Hossain, M. 2010. Daylight Inclusion to Save Energy: An Observation on Luminous Environment of Residential Apartment Building in Context of Dhaka. Proceeding of the Conference on ‘Engineering Research, Innovation and Education 2010’ (CERIE 2010). Sylhet, Bangladesh 11 - 13 Jan 2010

To Conserve a Sacred Place: An Investigation on Moha Tirtha Langalbandh
Hossain, M. 2010. To Conserve a Sacred Place: An Investigation on Moha Tirtha Langalbandh. Protibesh – Journal of the Department of Architecture. 14 (1), pp. 51-65.

Promoting ‘Off the Grid’ School: Application of RET to Develop Educational Infrastructure in Bangladesh
Hossain, M. and Fatemi, M.N. 2009. Promoting ‘Off the Grid’ School: Application of RET to Develop Educational Infrastructure in Bangladesh. 1st International Conference on the Developements in Renewable Energy Technology (ICDRET). Dhaka, Bangladesh 17 - 19 Dec 2009 IEEE .

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/qv378/individual-communal-and-institutional-responses-to-climate-change-by-low-income-households-in-khulna-bangladesh


Share this

Usage statistics

126 total views
0 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.