Urbanisation at Risk: Urban Resilience in Pacific Island Countries

Pacific island cities and towns are growing at globally high rates, placing significant strains on services, infrastructure and ecological systems. Weak urban planning and governance lead to food, water and energy vulnerabilities that are in turn exacerbated by mounting climate change pressures. This chapter reviews efforts by Pacific island countries to build urban resilience at different scales from regional to local. At all scales resources are limited and urban governance weak, often leaving communities to use their own resources and social networks to fill some of the gaps, but without coordination or recognition. Urban transformations in support of greater resilience and culturally attuned development require new mind sets and concerted action, particularly with respect to �informal� economies and settlements, land security and governance, and the ways in which cities are (under) governed and (under) serviced. Regional initiatives to address urban pressures are largely lacking but have the potential to support change across systems by pooling effort and expertise, building supportive networks, and exposing localised power structures that favour elites over equity. Time is short. A resilient future for Pacific cities is possible, if experiences and expertise are shared � and there is the will to apply it.