The study argues that amidst the biophysical hazards and threats of urban street life, as well as the disruptive effects of changing climate conditions, street-based groups construct adaptive strategies as they navigate through contested spaces, institutional constraints, and strategic networks. The study unveils that their strategic practices are very much informed by their intimate knowledge of street and community power relations as embedded in their perilous environment.

While street-based populations are highly exposed to air pollutants, they understand and recognize pollution and pollutants differently from the scientific community and more importantly, the former prioritize their livelihoods in the streets over their health concerns.

This paper explores the experiences of exposure to environmental risks of air and noise pollution of street-based populations (SBPs) in Metro Manila, and their local knowledge systems regarding environmental pollution, health, and climate-related disaster risks. In particular, this study 1) characterizes the composition of SBPs and their levels of exposure to air and noise pollution, 2) describes the resource-opportunity structure of the streets and their strategies of coping and responding to air, and noise pollution, as well as to health and climate-related disaster risks, and 3) identifies solution pathways for risk reduction from the perspective of highly exposed and vulnerable populations, as well as from the urban authorities (i.e., community or city officials, and law enforcers). This study argues that amidst the biophysical hazards and threats of urban street life, and the disruptive effects of changing climate conditions, street-based groups construct adaptive strategies as they navigate through contested spaces, institutional constraints, and strategic networks. Through an ethnographic inquiry, the study used in-depth interviews, life histories, participant observation, direct and indirect observation, informal and unstructured interviews, and focus group discussions. This study unveils that their strategic practices are very much informed by their intimate knowledge of street and community power relations embedded in their perilous environment.

The study argues that amidst the biophysical hazards and threats of urban street life, as well as the disruptive effects of changing climate conditions, street-based groups construct adaptive strategies as they navigate through contested spaces, institutional constraints, and strategic networks. The study unveils that their strategic practices are very much informed by their intimate knowledge of street and community power relations as embedded in their perilous environment.

This paper hopes to contribute to the literature on bridging, translating, and integrating local knowledge systems regarding air and noise pollution to environmental justice and climate disasters in cities. Hopefully, the study results will provide valuable insights for the larger scientific community, development practitioners, and policymakers regarding air pollution risks among the most highly exposed and vulnerable street-based population in the cities of the global south

Keywords: social vulnerability, vulnerable populations, urban poor, environmental pollution, climate change, disaster, risk

Policy Paper

The policy paper submitted to the Quezon City LGU can be accessed through this link.

Lecture Video in iWiSE 2019 Conference

This study was presented in the International Conference on Water, Informatics, Sustainability and Environment (iWiSE 2019), held in Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada;

The video lecture can be viewed below or accessed through this link.

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