Informal climate resilience: urban transitions in Pacific Small Island Developing States
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 - 10:00am to 11:00am
Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are often portrayed as the 'front line' of climate change, known for their high levels of climate exposure, vulnerable low-lying atolls, at-risk ecosystems, and limited non-subsistence livelihood opportunities. Less widely recognised is the Pacific's rapid rate of urbanisation, with post-colonial urban centres facing unprecedented growth in environments that hybridise traditional livelihoods and customary systems with global technologies, access to capital, and built environments.
Alexei Trundle has conducted research in the South Pacific since 2013, working with UN-Habitat to develop urban resilience and climate adaptation strategies in Honiara, Solomon Islands and Port Vila, Vanuatu. In this seminar, Alexei will present the preliminary findings of his PhD research, which is examining the unique contributions that informal settlements, their community structures, and household resources can make to urban climate resilience. Results will be related from qualitative interviews and workshops conducted with 6 communities in Honiara and Port Vila, as well as with institutional stakeholders working on climate resilient development initiatives in each city.
Event Location:
Australian-German Climate and Energy College
Level 1, 187 Grattan Street
3010
Parkville
,
VIC
Victoria
Speakers
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Alexei was previously a research associate at the RMIT University Global Cities Research Institute, working across a range of climate change adaptation projects in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as private sector and local government partners in Australia. He has a background in human geography and development, with ongoing advisory roles with UN-Habitat and the UN Global Compact Cities Programme.
PhD Project: Urban Climate Resilience in Melanesia’s rapid-growth cities: the migrant narrative
Alexei’s PhD project is examining the engagement of migrant households within urban climate resilience initiatives in the rapidly-growing Melanesian cities of Port Vila and Honiara, following recent climate-related disaster events. These two case studies will provide an empirical basis for wider consideration of the role of dynamic migrant households, as well as their unique capacities and perspectives, in resilience thinking and its applications to cities in the context of climate-related shocks and stressors.
Supervisor: Prof. Brendan Gleeson
Start Date: March 2016
Contact: alexei.trundle@climate-energy-college.org
CECSeminar-Trundle.pptx