Planning for inclusive flood resilience in Southeast Asia:A critical perspective on policy translation, institutional capacity building and transformation

Cities in Southeast Asia are regularly impacted by increasing flood risks and the consequences of climate change. In these urbanized regions, the social and economic impacts of flooding are often unfairly distributed, with low-income communities being most affected by flood- and climate-related risks. Despite the urgency due to the economic and societal impacts of flood disaster in the region, little investment is made regarding proactive and long-term solutions for urban flood risk management. Many cities still rely on technical measures, such as flood protection infrastructure. The overall research aim of this thesis is to explore and understand institutional transformation for inclusive flood resilience planning in urbanized regions in Southeast Asia, and how international resilience programs can contribute to this transformation. Recognizing the complexity of the flood resilience planning process, the critical perspective developed in this study emphasizes the importance of an inclusive process as well as the role of language and meaning-making in the formulation of resilience strategies, and it stresses the development of enabling institutional capacities and conditions for inclusive flood resilience planning. The issues of ‘social justice’ issue and ‘inclusivity’ in flood resilience planning should be anticipated by the city’s resilience policy makers and experts to prevent a deepening of unequal flood vulnerabilities among local communities. This study invites future research to explore the various possibilities of using flood resilience planning as a vehicle to stimulate planning for cities that are fair and inclusive