Resistance for Resilience: A Reflexive Exploration of Battambang, Cambodia

Abstract

As a secondary city in Cambodia, Battambang has been facing increasing flooding under the pressure of urbanization, modernization, and climate change. Like many other Southeast Asian cities, the issue of land use and management is perhaps the most contentious and significant issue in Battambang, linked closely with building urban climate resilience. This chapter utilizes a reflexive exploration to investigate urban resilience in Battambang. Using researcher interviews, this study showcases different layers of resilience with an emphasis on the conflicts of power hierarchies. We demonstrate a more proactive perspective of resilience by revealing forms of resistance among disadvantaged populations. This perspective is seldom presented in current resilience studies.