Collecting flooding and vulnerability information in informal settlements: the governance of knowledge production

Abstract

It is well documented that informal settlement residents are particularly vulnerable to flooding, and many suggest improved collaboration is needed to improve the situations. Reason being that sustainable change will require a varied set of knowledge. This means that stakeholders from different spheres with different economic and political interests are likely to be involved. This paper will look into processes of knowledge production by applying a nodal governance framework to analyse the interaction between researchers, local communities, local government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the production of survey data/geographical information system (GIS) knowledge of two specific informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, prone to flooding. The production of knowledge at a local scale is critical to effective governance, but the gathering of this data is a complex process ‘flavoured’ with the differing perspectives and objectives of the various ‘actors’ involved. This shapes the outcomes of knowledge production and needs to be carefully considered in the survey process.