Public Participation in Adaptive Governance to Address the Climate Crisis in Dhaka, Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71435/Keywords:
Adaptive Governance, Public Participation, Climate Change Adaptation, Urban Resilience, DhakaAbstract
Purpose: This study aims to examine the role of public participation within adaptive governance frameworks in addressing the climate crisis in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Specifically, it investigates how participatory mechanisms contribute to adaptive capacity, institutional learning, and climate-responsive decision-making in a highly vulnerable urban context, while also identifying the structural constraints that limit meaningful citizen influence on climate governance outcomes.
Subjects and Methods: The study employed a qualitative case study approach focusing on climate adaptation governance in Dhaka. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with government officials, local planners, civil society representatives, community leaders, and residents from climate-vulnerable neighborhoods, complemented by document analysis of urban climate policies, adaptation plans, and project reports. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis informed by adaptive governance theory to capture patterns related to participation, power relations, and institutional responsiveness.
Results: The findings reveal that public participation has enhanced localized risk awareness, facilitated community-based adaptation practices, and supported incremental learning within climate governance processes. Participatory forums enabled communities to articulate local knowledge and immediate adaptation needs, particularly in relation to flooding, heat stress, and informal settlement vulnerabilities. However, participation was predominantly consultative, with limited influence on strategic planning and resource allocation. Power asymmetries, fragmented institutional coordination, and weak accountability mechanisms constrained the integration of community inputs into formal policy decisions, thereby limiting transformative adaptation outcomes.
Conclusions:
The study concludes that while public participation strengthens adaptive governance at the local level, its potential remains underutilized without stronger institutional integration and accountability. Enhancing the effectiveness of adaptive governance in Dhaka requires moving beyond procedural participation toward more inclusive, empowered, and multi-level participatory arrangements. These findings contribute to the literature on urban climate governance in the Global South by highlighting participation as both an enabling and contested dimension of adaptive responses to climate change.
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