A few years back, the inhabitants of a manufactured-home community in the southeastern suburbs of Houston, near the Buffalo Bayou, undertook a significant initiative to address climate challenges: They acquired the land beneath their residences. Subsequently, they improved drainage systems and devised strategies to share knowledge and tools for home maintenance. What was the outcome? The community weathered Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and a winter freeze in 2021 with minimal damage.
This community is part of a national movement towards the Resident Owned Community (ROC) framework for manufactured home parks. Numerous individuals living in manufactured homes — mobile homes — do not possess the land on which they sit. However, if the inhabitants of a manufactured-home park can establish an ROC, they can take steps to adapt to climate threats — and mitigate the risk of eviction. With an ROC in place, residents of manufactured homes can ensure their permanence.
This points to a broader concern: In urban areas, lower-income individuals often find themselves particularly susceptible to natural disasters, such as flooding, extreme heat, and wildfires. Yet, initiatives aimed at reinforcing cities as a whole against these catastrophes can lead to measures that displace already marginalized communities — like transforming a low-lying area into a storm buffer, for example.
“The global climate crisis has varying effects on cities, and on neighborhoods within those cities,” asserts Lawrence Vale, a professor of urban studies at MIT and co-author of a recent publication on the topic, “The Equitably Resilient City,” released by MIT Press and co-authored with Zachary B. Lamb PhD ’18, an assistant professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
In their book, the authors examine 12 case studies worldwide which they believe accomplish dual goals: Low- and middle-income communities have propelled climate advancements through tangible projects, while also preventing displacement and fostering local governance and community involvement.
“We can either plunge into hopelessness regarding climate challenges, or view them as solvable and explore what it takes to achieve success in a more equitable manner,” says Vale, who holds the Ford Professorship of Urban Design and Planning at MIT. “This book urges a holistic view of problems — to illustrate how environmental effects intertwine with livelihoods, a sense of security from displacement, and feeling empowered to partake in local governance.”
As Lamb emphasizes, “Advancing equitable urban climate adaptation demands modifications in the physical infrastructure of cities, as well as innovations in institutional governance to tackle deep-rooted sources of inequality.”
Twelve projects, four components
The research for “The Equitably Resilient City” commenced with a review of approximately 200 potential cases, ultimately focusing on 12 projects from various locations worldwide, including the U.S., Brazil, Thailand, and France. Vale and Lamb, in collaboration with local research teams, visited these diverse sites and conducted interviews in nine different languages.
Each of the 12 projects operates on multiple levels simultaneously: They represent steps toward environmental sustainability while also bolstering local communities socially and economically. The authors use the acronym LEGS (“livelihood, environment, governance, and security”) to encapsulate the necessity for equitable advancement across these four distinct areas.
“Excelling in one of these areas deserves recognition, and achieving all four is exhilarating,” states Vale. “It’s vital to comprehend not only what these communities accomplished but also how they did it and which perspectives were included. These 12 examples are not random selections. The book seeks out individuals who are partially succeeding in challenging endeavors under tough circumstances.”
One case study takes place in São Paulo, Brazil, where low-income residents of a mountainous favela gained from new housing on undeveloped terrain less susceptible to landslides. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, residents of low-lying neighborhoods adjacent to a waterway established a robust set of community organizations to create a more equitable solution to flooding: Although the channel required widening, the local coalition insisted on minimizing displacement, supporting local livelihoods, and enhancing environmental quality and public spaces.
“There’s been a backlash against outdated practices,” says Vale, referencing the extensive urban planning and infrastructure initiatives of the mid-20th century, which frequently overlooked community engagement. “People witnessed what transpired during the urban renewal era and thought, ‘You won’t do that to us again.’”
Indeed, a consistent theme in “The Equitably Resilient City” is that cities, like all areas, can serve as contested political ground. Often, effective solutions materialize when local entities organize, lobby for new approaches, and ultimately gain traction to implement them.
Think locally, adapt universally
Another recurring theme in “The Equitably Resilient City” is that local achievements are highly significant for several reasons — including the importance of enabling communities to create projects that address their own needs based on their input. Vale and Lamb show interest in even the smallest projects and dedicate one chapter to the Paris OASIS initiative, which has established a series of innovatively designed, green school playgrounds throughout Paris. These initiatives offer environmental education opportunities and help alleviate flooding and urban heat while enriching the city’s green spaces.
A single park, in isolation, can only achieve so much, but the underlying concept can be replicated by others.
“This book primarily focuses on local initiatives rather than national policies,” Vale explains. “The aim is for them to inspire individuals to adapt to their unique circumstances.”
Ultimately, the urban landscapes and governance in places like Paris or São Paulo will vary significantly. But endeavors aimed at enhancing public open spaces or maintaining affordable housing are applicable to cities around the globe.
Similarly, the authors dedicate a chapter to initiatives in the Cully neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, where community leaders have implemented various urban environmental enhancements while creating and preserving additional affordable housing. The objective in the Cully area, as in all these scenarios, is to render locations more resilient to climate change while improving their quality of life for existing residents.
“Adapting to climate change will mobilize substantial public and private resources to reshape cities globally,” Lamb notes. “These examples illustrate pathways through which those resources can create cities that are not only more adaptable to climate change but also more equitable. Indeed, these initiatives demonstrate how increasing equity in cities can contribute to their resilience.”
Other scholars have commended the book. Eric Klinenberg, director of New York University’s Institute for Public Knowledge, described it as “both scholarly and constructive, uplifting, serving as a reminder that improved, more equitable cities are within our reach.”
Vale also incorporates some of the book’s principles into his teaching, discovering that MIT students, regardless of their origin, appreciate the notion of creatively addressing climate resilience.
“At MIT, students seek to apply their technical abilities to pressing global issues,” Vale states. “I genuinely believe there are numerous opportunities available, particularly amid a climate crisis. We strive to highlight some of the solutions that exist. Provide us with an opportunity, and we will reveal the potential of a place.”