Community-led pathways to climate-resilient housing: seasonal agricultural workers’ settlements in Bursa, Türkiye

Source abstract

This article examines how climate stress intensifies the housing and settlement deficits of seasonal agricultural workers (SAWs) in Bursa, Türkiye, and the implications for housing justice within this agri-food city-region. It advances a twofold agenda: first, to diagnose multi-scalar vulnerabilities linking unit-level shelter deficiencies with settlement-scale siting and infrastructure deficits under heat and flood risks; and, second, to propose a community-informed upgrading framework supported by responsive governance. Drawing on mixed-methods fieldwork conducted in the Yenişehir and Mustafakemalpaşa districts in 2023, the study integrates in-depth interviews, gender-segregated focus groups and institutional consultations. Findings indicate that poorly ventilated, flood-prone shelters, inadequate sanitation and precarious labour arrangements compound climate risks, disproportionately affecting women and children. In response, the article outlines a phased intervention model combining spatial design measures with rights-based governance approaches. By situating peri-urban SAW settlements within wider city-region governance dynamics, the study offers a transferable framework for climate-resilient housing interventions.