Small-scale measures can make a practical difference in informal settlements facing heat, drought, heavy rainfall and landslide risks. In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, residents of Los Pinos and Villa Nueva worked with municipal departments, NGOs, researchers and technical organisations to identify and implement locally relevant responses through the Asset Planning for Climate Change Adaptation (APCA) project.
Implemented between 2014 and 2017, APCA used community-based workshops to assess residents’ climate risks and existing coping practices. Proposed measures were then reviewed for their technical, legal, financial and social feasibility. The process resulted in a range of practical measures, from improving steep stairways and drainage systems to protecting soil, creating green resting areas, reinforcing retaining walls made from used tyres, improving rainwater harvesting and waste collection, and addressing housing needs.
The project also illustrates how adaptation measures can contribute to mitigation. Tree planting and green infrastructure can help stabilise slopes and capture carbon, while rainwater harvesting can reduce water stress during droughts. Retaining walls made from recycled tyres can address landslide risks and help limit the open burning of tyres, and improved waste collection can reduce open burning and related emissions and pollutants.
For other cities, the project offers lessons on starting from residents’ knowledge, assessing solutions jointly and connecting community priorities with municipal responsibilities.