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

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.