A Confluence of Three Knowledge Rivers: Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), Disaster Risk Management (DRM), and the Cultural Dimensions of Risk: Adapting to Flash Flooding in Auckland

Abstract

Growing evidence indicates that coastal cities face heightened climate risks, notably pluvial floods, due to urban development in at-risk coastal locations (IPCC, 2022). Urban flash floods, a type of pluvial flooding, may exacerbate ethnic disparities, particularly affecting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities due to social isolation, language barriers, and limited access to resources and knowledge (Ministry for the Environment (MfE), 2022; Yin et al., 2023). This research aims to enhance understanding of how culturally diverse households in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland adapt to flash flood risk, considering the city’s future exposure to intense rainfall events and its diverse population. Despite the interaction between climate and socio-cultural factors, there is limited understanding of how diverse cultural groups adapt to climate variability in urban settings.
To address this gap, the study employs a mixed methods research approach with a social constructivist worldview, and sequential explanatory research design. The research design involves combining quantitative geospatial mapping, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and semi-structured interviews (SSIs). The study’s conceptual framework on people’s risk perception and response is nested at the confluence of three connected areas of knowledge: anthropogenic climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk management (DRM), and the cultural dimensions of risk. The analytical method aims to refine this framework, providing insights for developing CCA and DRM strategies tailored to CALD communities residing in flood-prone areas within ethnically diverse coastal cities. Ultimately, the study’s outcomes will enhance scholarly, societal, and policy understanding, contributing valuable knowledge for future research endeavours.