Integrating climate change considerations in planning for urban development in Sierra Leone : the case of Freetown

Much of the climate change literature is replete with discussions about the potential impact of climate change on cities. Whilst urban planners are increasingly being urged to develop robust and clear strategies for dealing with the impacts, in reality there is very little knowledge about the way the local context shapes whether, and how, planners and households are able to address the challenges posed. Moreover, since much of the literature on the response to climate change impacts has focused mainly on national level actions, there is very little knowledge about how such actions should be carried out in particular cities. Although local levels are now increasingly being recognised as plausible action points, the way in which institutional structures work to either shape vulnerability, or to constrain households and urban planning responses, has been largely ignored and the links poorly theorised. This study questions the dominant assumptions about ‘institutional fit’ and argues that the ingenuity of human agency in dealing with climate change can be constrained by the planning structures within which actions take place. The study uses Sierra Leone’s capital – Freetown − to explore this argument by examining the linkages between the country’s urban planning system, the structures of governance, and the system for climate change response and adaptation management. Using a multi-disciplinary approach that has been developed on both theoretical and empirical grounds, the research examines the important challenges that must be addressed in order for urban planning processes to effectively address climate change response and adaptation issues. The research uses a variety of data collection techniques (quantitative and qualitative) to investigate the constraints placed on actors at different levels in shaping the city’s development process and how this will be affected by climate change. The thesis proposes a framework to offer insights into some of the more practical considerations and approaches behind making climate change an integral part of urban planning. However, the inclusion of climate change considerations in urban planning decisions raises questions about what kinds of adjustments ought to be made to the current planning system. The thesis concludes that whilst institutions do not guarantee what actually happens in practice, they are critical for urban planning responses since the integration of climate change concerns into policy and practice is largely dependent on national and local level institutions.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceCommonwealth Scholarship CommissionGBUnited Kingdo

Sustaining Community-Based Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning Platforms at Work in Freetown, Sierra Leone

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, despite the progress in the official response to the COVID-19 outbreak, there remain concerns about the limited involvement of local communities and the use of bottom-up participatory approaches in the response. While the official response has been characterised by restrictive public health measures such as partial lockdowns and the declaration of a state of a public health emergency, for the urban poor, the implications have been wide-ranging including the deepening of inequalities, especially among residents in slum-like informal settlements who already suffer from pre-COVID-19 structural challenges and vulnerabilities. This includes challenges linked to health systems fragility, environmental risks and uncertainties around livelihoods in the informal economy, which forces many to live from hand to mouth. Ultimately, these vulnerabilities challenge the acceptance and compliance of the restrictive state-led health measures, which puts them at risk of infections. To address these structural inequalities and foster an inclusive dialogue, a City Learning Platform, comprising the Freetown City Council, local community residents and their groups, and a few non-governmental organisations have been working creatively to respond to the COVID-19 challenges faced by the urban poor. But, while this alternative bottom-up approach has allowed the coordination of response to address community-level priorities more effectively, how well the platform has been able to successfully sustain the interest and commitments of vulnerable groups and to build their capacities, co-create knowledge and explore new opportunities has yet to be understood. This article highlights the strategic value of Community Learning Platforms in sustaining local responses to the pandemic. It also explores how social protection measures are shaped into the local response and help tackle deeply entrenched inequalities in the communities. The article additionally reflects on the challenges and opportunities for using the Community Learning Platforms in the COVID-19 response

Experiences of COVID-19 and Perspectives on Vaccination: Key Findings from a Survey in Two Informal Settlements in Freetown

This brief outlines key findings from a survey carried out in two informal settlements in Freetown in April 2021, focusing on their perspectives of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national response to the virus and willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. The study was carried out by the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical medicine (LSHTM). Our findings point to high concern with COVID-19 in these communities, primarily related to the livelihood impact of the pandemic. Most respondents signaled that they would be unable to isolate a sick household member in their household, but also showed high awareness of and self-reported adherence to public health measures. The majority of respondents thought the government was making good decisions to respond to the pandemic at the time of the survey. For those whose trust in government had decreased since the onset of the pandemic, concerns about survival and food and job security were important reasons. Respondents who showed willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine if offered one emphasized their wish to protect themselves and their communities, whilst hesitancy was associated primarily with concerns about vaccine safety. Hesitancy was more likely amongst those who are hesitant of vaccines in general, who had not heard of new variants (and may therefore have been less concerned about the virus) and those whose trust in government was partial to begin with or had decreased due to the pandemic. We conclude by putting forward key recommendations for addressing these issues with a focus on targeted community engagement, dynamic and adaptive pandemic response measures and specific efforts to build trust in the health system and the pandemic response. These findings are a snapshot from April 2021, but they highlight trends and characteristics of vaccine confidence to be monitored as the pandemic situation progresse

Local Response in Health Emergencies: Key Considerations for Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Informal Urban Settlements

This paper highlights the major challenges and considerations for addressing COVID-19 in informal settlements. It discusses what is known about vulnerabilities and how to support local protective action. There is heightened concern about informal urban settlements because of the combination of population density and inadequate access to water and sanitation, which makes standard advice about social distancing and washing hands implausible. There are further challenges to do with the lack of reliable data and the social, political and economic contexts in each setting that will influence vulnerability and possibilities for action. The potential health impacts of COVID-19 are immense in informal settlements, but if control measures are poorly executed these could also have severe negative impacts. Public health interventions must be balanced with social and economic interventions, especially in relation to the informal economy upon which many poor urban residents depend. Local residents, leaders and communitybased groups must be engaged and resourced to develop locally appropriate control strategies, in partnership with local governments and authorities. Historically, informal settlements and their residents have been stigmatized, blamed, and subjected to rules and regulations that are unaffordable or unfeasible to adhere to. Responses to COVID-19 should not repeat these mistakes. Priorities for enabling effective control measures include: collaborating with local residents who have unsurpassed knowledge of relevant spatial and social infrastructures, strengthening coordination with local governments, and investing in improved data for monitoring the response in informal settlements

Ebola and slum dwellers: Community engagement and epidemic response strategies in urban Sierra Leone

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa (2013–2016) was a learning process for all – the population, health experts and practitioners, as well as government structures. Learning occurred in all stages of the response, from the initial lack of clarity and denial of Ebola's existence that contributed to public confusion; to the eventual acceptance of the existence of the Ebola threat whereupon fear and stigmatization reigned; to the later stages in which community engagement and ownership of the response arose. In this paper we describe how two urban poor communities in informal settlements in the Western Area of Sierra Leone responded to Ebola Virus Disease and how they deployed efficient strategies like the development and implementation of by-laws for monitoring and surveillance, thus helping to curb the epidemic. For future public health emergencies, we recommend that community engagement be pursued earlier and that efforts are made to ensure two-way knowledge exchange between responders and community stakeholders