Community-led climate adaptation in informal settlements: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

People resident in urban informal settlements are highly exposed to global climate change and, due to poverty, adverse environmental conditions and a lack of risk reducing infrastructure, are least able to adapt to growing risks.

With the number of people resident in cities expanding by around 2.2 billion globally over the next three decades, there is an urgent need for safe and affordable settlements that are resilient to changing climate conditions.

This report forms part of a wider project, funded by the World Bank, looking at community-led climate adaptation in informal settlements. It reports the outcome of community-led data collection in two low-income urban areas of Dar es Salaam: Kwa Pakacha and Kombo, exploring the effects of changing climate conditions.

Through a process of community-led research, data was collected and analysed to provide new insights into the experience, impacts and the strategies adopted by residents to cope with climate change. This analysis helps to fill gaps in official data, to empower people to act collectively to reduce risks and to identify areas for collaboration between communities and government to improve settlements.