Water of life
-
Case study
- Environmental Sustainability and Resilience
Posted on 31 October 2021
Access to water for many households in cities of the global South is unequal, with supplies prone to failure. Researchers at York are working with local partners in Nepal and Thailand to assess risks and build urban futures that are equitable and resilient.
The issue
Nepal and Thailand offer examples of the rapid urbanisation that is underway across the Global South. Urbanisation is dependent on systems of infrastructure that deliver core services, such as water, energy, and solid waste management. Infrastructure investment and governance decisions play a central role in urban inequalities, distributing access to services and associated opportunities for communities to flourish.
The research
Drawing on concepts of political capabilities and knowledge infrastructures we work with local partners to address the following research questions:
- How do material and institutional relations reflect and reinforce resilience narratives?
- How do public and private urban actors deploy, contest or navigate resilience narratives to secure their interests?
- Can alternative material and institutional relations challenge dominant narratives to secure a transformation in political capabilities?
The outcome
Our vision is that marginalised communities are able to represent their interests in resilience planning and investments, enabling access to critical services in a manner that responds to the risks of climate change and disasters.
We use phases of research and action to:
- Reveal new understandings of the problem context
- Co-develop new tools for analysis with marginalised groups and the organisations that work with them
- Identify new strategic alliances and alternative infrastructure development pathways in the study cities
- Open new political space, building and reinforcing new alliances of science and people, laying the ground for more equitable material outcomes and political relations
- Enable regional learning between Thailand and Nepal to support engagement with national and regional decision makers.
Richard Friend
Dr Friend's areas of expertise include international development, natural resources governance, urbanisation, and climate change, resilience and transformation.