When non-climate urban policies contribute to building urban resilience to climate change: lessons learned from Indonesian cities

Asian cities climate resilience working paper series 1:

This research addresses the multiple threats from climate hazards faced by cities in Indonesia, among them sea-level rise, flooding and coastal abrasion. It presents several cases that demonstrate examples of innovative policies that have increased water provision to urban poor residents, reduced the vulnerability of riverbank settlements, and introduced technology in gathering and sharing vital data to increase public access to information.

Examined through a resilience framework, the cases reveal how in an era of decentralisation and increasing climate risk, some city governments have adopted an open-minded and responsive approach and introduced flexible and inclusive policies that have led to successful reductions in social vulnerability. The research contributes to efforts to document lessons about policy design and implementation and provides conclusions about why these policies have been successful in bolstering resilience and reducing vulnerability.