When survival is organized locally: Perspectives of community resilience by collective action to flooding in three informal settlements of Douala, Cameroon

This article explores the potential of collective self-organization in three informal settlements in Douala, Cameroon, as a lever for community resilience to recurring floods. While the literature highlights the high vulnerability of these territories, it still pays little attention to the local forms of social and institutional regulation that emerge on the margins of the State. Based on an in-depth ethnographic survey conducted in Bois des Singes, Japoma Beach, and PK9, the study highlights the diversity of selective incentives mechanisms and social sanctions that shape local responses to flood risk. Risk perception has been identified as a trigger for collective action in settlements, but its expression varies depending on contexts and available resources. The analysis shows that community resilience stems from institutional diversity, in which residents combine customary norms and informal social practices to compensate for the ineffectiveness of public policies. These “bottom-up” regulations are based on the principle of reciprocity and on deterring opportunistic behavior, but they also generate forms of social exclusion. The article advocates for the need to link local initiatives to formal risk management mechanisms, without denying their autonomy. Finally, it proposes ways to better integrate these dynamics into more equitable and coordinated urban governance policies.