Paper short abstract:

Flooding in two Philippine coastal settlements is recent and coincident to urban sprawl. Their landscapes evidence human adaptation to this socio-environmental phenomenon, and reflect negotiations between social values and place that explain declining resiliency to current extreme climate change.

Paper long abstract:

Flooding as reflected by its maritime archaeological landscapes is a natural Late Quaternary phenomenon in Luzon Island (Philippines). Geoarchaeology has recently demonstrated that late 19th century flooding in at least two archaeologically significant Luzon landscapes is associated if not brought about by urbanising settlements. Reclaimed and maintained waterways evidence this shift from a once dominantly natural landscape to a more recently dominant cultural landscape. These shifts in the late 19th century settlements of Luzon, particularly those explored in this presentation provide a picture of everyday life where people negotiate between their sense of place and their human need to develop. Perhaps these negotiations is the reason why there is a seeming lack of resilience to the current spate of flooding brought about by extreme climate change.