Marunda Urban Resilience in Action

Urban development in low and middle income countries is characterized by highly unequal access to space, infrastructure, services and security. Low-income households are often forced to occupy hazard-exposed areas. People living in urban slums in coastal areas are extra vulnerable to disasters such as flooding and typhoons. Slum dwellers have the capacities, but lack the resources and networks to reduce their risks. The informal settlement of Marunda underscores these issues. Marunda is a densely populated (23,000 residents), badly organized and poor coastal neighborhood of North East Jakarta. The neighborhood is subject to small and large scale flooding multiple times per month. The flooding undermines sanitation and health, damages household assets and erodes coping mechanisms of the community.