Huraera Jabeen

MSc in Development and Planning: Building and Urban Design in Development, Development Planning Unit, University College London.

Bachelor of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh.

The gender dynamics of asset-based adaptation to climate variability in the built environment by the urban poor in Bangladesh.

Supervisors: Caroline Moser and Simon Guy.

Built Environment, Gender Dynamics, Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction, Asset, Urban Poverty.

Vulnerability and capacity to cope to the impacts of climate change and climate variability can vary by differential of location, income level, age and gender. If adaptation is seen as an ability to cope with change, the ability will depends on complex interactions of multi-dimensional factors of wealth, technology, education, information, skills, infrastructure, access to and management of resources among different groups. Effects of climate change are argued to be gendered because of strong relationship between poverty and vulnerability to environmental change. In past, development policy making often were either 'gender-blind' or tried to 'mainstream' gender as an after-thought that resulted it to be more of rhetoric than practice. In future climate change adaptation planning, narrating women both as 'heroines' for their capacity to struggle and 'victims' for curtailed choices and oppression, bear the threat of undermining positive contribution of men by discounting them as 'no-gendered'. In such, understanding 'gender' as the 'social relation' between women and men rather than representing 'women' can create possibilities for positive transformations. Again gender dynamics are more visible within household and community level among low-income groups. The dynamics within households are determined by inter-related variables like power and decision making of the different members; differential access to resources; differential control over income and expenditure; the allocation of household tasks and the degree to which these tasks are transferable among members; as well as the differential in time allocation and utilization among different members. These dynamics can play a key role about decision making for asset accumulation in built environment to reduce vulnerability and move towards adaptation encompassing physical, social & ecological factors.

The aim of the research is to explore how asset-based adaptation to climate variability among the urban poor in the built environment is mediated by gender dynamics, both within households as well as within local communities. The objectives of the research are to examine the process of accumulating and consolidating assets in the built environment to increase resilience against vulnerability from the impacts of climate change and climate variability; the gender dynamics within household and communities in urban areas that mediate the processes of decision making, access to, and management of, resources and their contribution to adaptation; as well as the spatial dimension of adaptation to climate change and climate variability that can conjoin both asset and gender dynamics.

Jabeen, H., Johnson, C. and Allen, A. (2010), Built-in resilience: Learning from grassroots coping strategies for climate variability, Environment and Urbanization, 22(2): 415-431.

Jabeen, H. and Mallick, F.H. (2009), Urban Poverty Climate Change and Built Environment, published in The Daily Star, 24 January 2009.

Jabeen, H. (2006), Strengths and Weaknesses of Particcipatory Methods for Rapid Definition of Problems and Potentials to Promote Socially Just Urban Intervention, BRAC University Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2.

Jabeen, H. (2005), Reconciling Self-Urban Development Practice and Social Justice, BRAC University Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2005.

Jabeen, H. (2005), Concept of 'Planning gain', published in The Independent, 13 May 2005.

Jabeen, H (2005), Alternative housing proposal: Experience from Kingston, Jamaica's Parade Gardens, published in The Independent, 8 July 2005.

Senior Lecturer (on leave), Department of Architecture, BRAC University, Bangladesh.

Consultant, UNESCAP, UNDP, UN Habitat.

Architech and Project Consultant, Design Vision Ltd, Bangladesh.