Re-imagining Resilience using Micro-Migration

In Bangladesh, like in all other countries climate change is causing significant changes to weather and climatic conditions. Bangladesh and more specifically the Sylhet region face adverse effects such as tidal flooding and riverbank erosion among other natural disasters. Besides endangering communities, these natural disasters destroy agricultural lands and infrastructure important to the continuation and advancement of a community. Another growing phenomenon in Bangladesh is migration as a form of resilience. Bangladeshis in flood-prone areas practice climate-induced micro-migration to deal with the situation (Mustari & Karim, 2017).

This project looks to the indigenous communities in Bangladesh and other wet land areas to find solutions to the problem. Research has shown that indigenous adaptation techniques and knowledge practices have been used by indigenous communities in Bangladesh and other regions to mitigate the effects of climate change and stressful environmental conditions (Amin, Asaduzzaman,Kabir, Snigdha, & Hossain, 2021).

The objective of this research is to design a housing solution that responds to flooding in the Sylhet metropolitan area. For this reason, it is important to study the effects of flooding on the target group as well as their homes, the migratory patterns of the displaced people and the indigenous strategies and technologies that may be used to mitigate these effects.

This research is imperative to the livelihood and sustainability of communities in the low-lying areas of Sylhet and to the new methodology of technology where indigenous wisdom is seen as a necessary technology rather than primitive techniques. The research will aim to answer the question “How can indigenous and traditional knowledge systems inform resilient housing solutions that support micro-migration as a climate adaptation strategy in Bangladesh?”