Adaptation to Flooding and Resilience Building in Pasig-Marikina Basin: Intersections of Social, Political-Economic and Place-Based Vulnerabilities

Previous studies on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change-related effects like flooding have focused largely on the social and economic drivers of vulnerability, adaptation and resilience. This paper argues that to understand better these drivers, the intertwining effects of socio-economic/livelihood vulnerability and placed-based vulnerability must be examined through the intersections of place/space and social structures/institutions and their interconnected processes and impacts. Thus, the study examines the adaptive capacities, flood responses and resilience-building initiatives of both urban poor communities and upper-income residents in gated communities along the Pasig-Marikina riverline on the east, Magallanes and Alabang Hills on the south, Katipunan Avenue on the North. Preliminary analyses shows that socially differentiated patterns of adaptation and resilience building follow along the lines of income class and place-based vulnerabilities; while those at the intersections suffer more but they are able to recover and construct resilience through mobilization of their bridging social capital and trust networks with civil society organizations, private sector and local governments.