Staying at low-income urban informal settlements despite heat stress

Climate change intensifies heatwaves globally, disproportionately impacting urban informal settlements like the Korail slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Despite extreme heat stress and associated health and livelihood challenges, residents exhibit a strong tendency for non-migration, choosing instead to adapt in place. This chapter explores environmental non-migration as a critical adaptation strategy, drawing from qualitative interviews with slum residents and experts. Findings reveal that non-migration decisions are influenced by livelihood opportunities, place attachment, risk perception, and risk-taking ability, underscoring the complex interplay between socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors. While non-migration fosters community resilience and resource transformation, it faces barriers such as inadequate infrastructure and unequal access to cooling solutions. Insights contribute to broader climate adaptation discourses, particularly in vulnerable, low-income urban contexts.