Insurgent climate adaptation in Santiago de Cali: Resisting and reshaping flood-risk resettlements

Abstract

Climate adaptation in Latin American cities involves navigating highly contested social and cultural terrains. In cities with black and indigenous communities they are confronted with challenges such as histories of racial exclusion and informal, self-built housing in high-risk areas. This study examines Project Plan Jarillón, a flood protection infrastructure project in Santiago de Cali which involves Latin America’s largest relocation project. Cali, home to a large Afro-Colombian population, is also one of Colombia’s fastest growing cities and the second largest reciever of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country. The study, based on 5 years of fieldwork including site visits and interviews, found the city’s failure to account for the segregation of black residents in high-risk areas has led to resistance, conflict and delays in the completion of the project. However, by forming an insurgent planning practice which draws from local culture and traditions of resistance, Afro-Colombian communities re-centered public debate on demands for racial and cultural recognition, and the right to decent housing. This insurgent planning is creating more democratic forms and approaches to climate adaptation in Cali at a pivotal moment in Colombia’s history as it negotiates a post-conflict process and positions itself as a global advocate for climate justice.