Donderer, E. (2022). Maastricht Journal of Liberal Arts. Full text available at: https://openjournals.maastrichtuniversity.nl/MJLA/issue/view/72
In the context of rapid urbanization and the increasing intensity of flood events in metropolitan areas such as Mexico City, the urban poor became particularly vulnerable to the implications of flood hazards. Hence, it is a timely manner to implement inclusive strategies for flood risk management. Many studies and international reports, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, have looked at the potential of participatory risk management to include vulnerable populations and promote sustainable development. Yet, there is a limited understanding of the mechanisms developed by informal settlers to cope with their complex experiences of risk. Moreover, the public policy landscape and humanitarian frameworks for flood risk management and sustainability in Mexico City show little consideration for these community-based initiatives. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap in understanding the present conditions, risks, and responses to flooding hazards in Mexico City from a people-centered perspective.
The paper draws on a purposive literature review and case study approach to explore how public policy can involve community-level actors in flood risk management and, thereby, promote long-term sustainability. The findings show that policymakers can shift from technocratic to participatory resilience strategies to integrate risk resilience into sustainable development efforts. Hence, it is proposed to invest in generic capacity-building and poverty alleviation with geographic literacy and technological flood control innovations to increase community flood risk resilience of informal settlers in Mexico City.
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