UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

From state agencies to ordinary citizens: reframing risk-mitigation investments and their impact to disrupt urban risk traps in Lima, Peru

Allen, A; Zilbert Soto, L; Wesely, J; Belkow, T; Ferro, V; Lambert, R; Langdown, I; (2017) From state agencies to ordinary citizens: reframing risk-mitigation investments and their impact to disrupt urban risk traps in Lima, Peru. Environment and Urbanization , 29 (2) pp. 477-502. 10.1177/0956247817706061. Green open access

[thumbnail of Allen_From_state_agencies.pdf]
Preview
Text
Allen_From_state_agencies.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

The understanding of linkages between disaster risk and urban development has seen important advances in recent decades. However, it falls short in addressing the production and reproduction of so-called urban “risk traps”, which are accumulation cycles of everyday risks and small-scale disasters with highly localized impacts, particularly on impoverished urban dwellers. Drawing on the action-research project cLIMA sin Riesgo, this paper examines risk-mitigating investment actions of state agencies, residents and communities in Barrios Altos, in the historic centre of Lima, Peru, and José Carlos Mariátegui, in the periphery. The analysis shows that residents tend to be caught in risk traps not necessarily due to lacking investments, but paradoxically despite them and their unintended effects. Furthermore, accumulated fragmented investments erode the capacity to act of those at risk and perpetuate risk accumulation cycles. The paper argues for a re-assessment of risk-mitigation investments and their intended and unintended consequences, and suggests routes to address current shortcomings in order to disrupt “risk traps”.

Type: Article
Title: From state agencies to ordinary citizens: reframing risk-mitigation investments and their impact to disrupt urban risk traps in Lima, Peru
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1177/0956247817706061
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247817706061
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: capacity to act, everyday risk, just and resilient cities, Lima, risk-mitigation investments, urban risk traps
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Development Planning Unit
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10043297
Downloads since deposit
152Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item