A balancing act

A boy runs up a narrow plank towards the communal makeshift toilet, hurrying before the afternoon tide washes in, flooding the ground beneath him. The skillful 'balancing act' depicted in this photograph is representative of the risk and resilience characterising everyday life for residents of this densely populated coastal slum. My research explores gendered dimensions of risk and resilience among urban poor communities in Metro Cebu, the Philippines, focusing on the perspectives and everyday experiences of informal settlers living in "danger zones", as well on governance approaches to disaster risk management and "resilience"-building as relevant to the urban poor.