Design Strategies for Informal Settlements towards Climate Change Adaptation in Eswatini

Abstract

Climate change holds potentially serious consequences for low-cost residential neighbourhoods. This implies a need to determine how these areas can be managed so that they have capacity to cope with and adjust to climate change. The purpose of this study was to identify design strategies for informal settlements to adapt to the effects of climate change and continue to function and provide appropriate services to its residents. Resilience Thinking Theory was used as a lens for understanding and dealing with change caused by the impacts of climate change. The study, which followed a mixed method research methodology, consisted of interviews, an observation study, precedent study, and focus groups. Interviews informed the extent of the problem and served to identify the climate change effects to which informal settlements in Eswatini should adapt. Observation studies determined the adaptive capacity of a selected informal settlement, Msunduza, Mbabane, to identify areas that require enhancement to increase their adaptive capacity to the effects of climate change. Precedent studies provided possible solutions implemented in other countries from which lessons can be taken. Finally, focal groups were used to evaluate the design strategies that were proposed in the study by synthesising all findings from the research methods. Empirical findings indicated that climate change has an impact on the environment, infrastructure and buildings. The results further revealed that informal settlements have a low adaptive capacity to climate change. However, there are traces of good resilience of water management systems to flooding in some parts of the selected informal settlement. The precedent study indicated how green technologies have been used to contribute to the resilience of different projects in similar climatic and socio-economic contexts. Focus group discussions identified design strategies for buildings, infrastructure, and resources suitable for the context of Eswatini. The research output was a design toolkit that could serve as a guide to developers of new affordable residential neighbourhoods, formal upgrading of informal settlements, and to residents retrofitting their self-help houses. The toolkit offered in this study is believed to contribute to the development of affordable settlements that will adapt to the impacts of climate change. The study further contributes a framework that can be used or further developed to assess the adaptive capacity of informal settlements to the impacts of climate change.