Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town

dc.contributor.authorPeirson, Alma Elisabeth
dc.contributor.authorZiervogel, Gina
dc.date.accessioned2021-10-07T17:07:18Z
dc.date.available2021-10-07T17:07:18Z
dc.date.issued2021-08-02
dc.date.updated2021-08-06T15:19:32Z
dc.description.abstractIn light of the increasing call for climate action, there is a growing body of literature studying the ways in which informal settlements in the Global South are adapting to the impacts of climate change. In these particularly vulnerable communities where the existing infrastructural vulnerabilities faced by residents are exacerbated by the hazards of climate change, multi-level approaches involving more inclusive forms of governance are needed for the implementation of climate action. Drawing from the case of a sanitation upgrading project in the informal settlement of Murray, located in Philippi, Cape Town, this paper adds to current understandings of multi-level rapid climate action in informal settlements by endeavouring to address two gaps in this body of literature. Firstly, this paper demonstrates a link between climate change and sanitation which has received little attention by showing that improving sanitation infrastructure makes communities more resilient to extreme weather events associated with climate change. Secondly, the paper addresses how and by whom rapid climate action can be implemented in complex socio-institutional contexts such as informal settlements where the impacts of climate change are felt particularly strongly. This paper identifies what enabled and constrained climate action in the Murray informal settlement in an attempt to provide lessons for local government from the case of the sanitation upgrading project. Bottom-up initiation of multi-level climate action is dependent on fragile partnerships which require the support and involvement of a skilled and dedicated local government. Nevertheless, co-operative and transparent engagements across levels hold the potential to contribute to transformative adaptation through the establishment of new partnerships and forms of governance which recognise community groups as legitimate stakeholders and acknowledge the importance of lived experiences and mentalities.en_US
dc.identifier10.3390/su13158598
dc.identifier.apacitationPeirson, A. E., & Ziervogel, G. (2021). Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town. <i>Sustainability</i>, 13(15), 8598. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/34202en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationPeirson, Alma Elisabeth, and Gina Ziervogel "Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town." <i>Sustainability</i> 13, 15. (2021): 8598. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/34202en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationPeirson, A.E. & Ziervogel, G. 2021. Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town. <i>Sustainability.</i> 13(15):8598. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/34202en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Peirson, Alma Elisabeth AU - Ziervogel, Gina AB - In light of the increasing call for climate action, there is a growing body of literature studying the ways in which informal settlements in the Global South are adapting to the impacts of climate change. In these particularly vulnerable communities where the existing infrastructural vulnerabilities faced by residents are exacerbated by the hazards of climate change, multi-level approaches involving more inclusive forms of governance are needed for the implementation of climate action. Drawing from the case of a sanitation upgrading project in the informal settlement of Murray, located in Philippi, Cape Town, this paper adds to current understandings of multi-level rapid climate action in informal settlements by endeavouring to address two gaps in this body of literature. Firstly, this paper demonstrates a link between climate change and sanitation which has received little attention by showing that improving sanitation infrastructure makes communities more resilient to extreme weather events associated with climate change. Secondly, the paper addresses how and by whom rapid climate action can be implemented in complex socio-institutional contexts such as informal settlements where the impacts of climate change are felt particularly strongly. This paper identifies what enabled and constrained climate action in the Murray informal settlement in an attempt to provide lessons for local government from the case of the sanitation upgrading project. Bottom-up initiation of multi-level climate action is dependent on fragile partnerships which require the support and involvement of a skilled and dedicated local government. Nevertheless, co-operative and transparent engagements across levels hold the potential to contribute to transformative adaptation through the establishment of new partnerships and forms of governance which recognise community groups as legitimate stakeholders and acknowledge the importance of lived experiences and mentalities. DA - 2021-08-02 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town IS - 15 J1 - Sustainability LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2021 T1 - Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town TI - Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/34202 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/34202
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationPeirson AE, Ziervogel G. Sanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Town. Sustainability. 2021;13(15):8598. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/34202.en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Environmental and Geographical Science
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_US
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.sourceSustainabilityen_US
dc.source.journalissue15en_US
dc.source.journalvolume13en_US
dc.source.pagination8598en_US
dc.source.urihttps://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
dc.titleSanitation Upgrading as Climate Action: Lessons for Local Government from a Community Informal Settlement Project in Cape Townen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
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