This panel will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss ways to use citizen science to promote greater health equity and climate resilience with residents of urban informal settlements. We will present case studies, community-driven research, climate adaptation strategies and slum upgrading approaches from cities across Africa. Participants will share on-going work in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria. In each case, we will discuss ways that academics and practitioners can improve collaboration on new methods of ethical community engagements and training that better connect the social, economic, and environmental determinants of urban health equity. Representatives from Shack Dwellers International (SDI) will share along with research partners.
Participants will:
- Learn about current action-research with residents of urban informal settlements that is aiming to reduce climate change vulnerabilities and promote greater health equity;
- Understand the climate change-related health burdens of slum dwellers, including food, energy, and thermal insecurities, flood risk, and increased burden of chronic illnesses including mental health and wellbeing;
- Learn how practitioners and NGOs are developing novel ways to secure land tenure for slum dwellers and working with municipalities to reduce land-related health vulnerabilities;
- Discuss pathways/opportunities to graduate training for African scholars at the intersections between climate change and health in informal settlements, and;
- Participate in discussions about how to publish workshop content and other action-research on informal settlements, climate & health in a special issue of the journal Urban Studies, co-edited by the workshop organizers.
The objectives are to:
- share strategies across different informal settlements in African cities,
- co-create a joint training program involving NGOs & community groups working with slum dwellers and researchers, and
- develop content for a special issue on Urban Health Equity in the journal Urban Studies.
