Climate resilience assessment of informal settlement buildings in Eswatini

The purpose of this study was to identify design strategies for informal settlements to adapt to the effects of climate change and continue to function and provide appropriate services to its residents. The study, which followed a mixed method research methodology, consisted of interviews, an observation study, precedent study, and focus groups. Interviews informed the extent of the problem and served to identify the climate change effects to which informal settlements in Eswatini should adapt. Semi structured interviews with selected specialists from organisations involved in climate change management (such as National Disaster Management, Municipalities, Eswatini Environmental Authority, Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, United Nations in Eswatini, and Meteorological Services, among others) and academics, were conducted to identify climate change impacts which affect residential neighbourhoods in Eswatini. Observation studies determined the adaptive capacity of a selected informal settlement, Msunduza, Mbabane, to identify areas that require enhancement to increase their adaptive capacity to the effects of climate change. An observational checklist was used to collect data on the physical condition and spatial design of the selected informal settlement to determine its adaptive capacity to climate change.