An indicator-based approach to quantifying the adaptive capacity of urban households: The case of Da Nang city, Central Vietnam

• Adaptive capacity indicators (ACI) of urban household to climate change were proposed.
• Adaptive capacity (AC) of urban households in Da Nang city was quantified.
• Six components were extracted from the ACI using principal component analysis.
• Major components of AC were household economy, social relations, adaptation practice.

Municipal governments have to contend with climate change dynamics with household-level adaptive capacity becoming an increasingly important component to the urban setting. However, methods in the quantification of adaptation, and what factors may drive adaptation at the urban household level, remain poorly resolved. In this study, we proposed an empirical approach and a set of 17 adaptive indicators to assess the adaptive capacity of urban households to climate change. The adaptive indicators were tested from three urban districts of the Da Nang city, Vietnam. A household survey using socioeconomic data was conducted in 617 urban households. The empirical results showed that inherent capacity of urban households was relatively high in term of wealth, housing condition and durable assets, and low for livelihood diversity and knowledge to climate change. Six components, consisting of household economy, social relation, human capital, adaptation practices, municipal services and urban governance, and livelihood protection were extracted from the adaptive indicators. Of these, household economy, social relation, and adaptation practices were major factors determining the adaptation of urban households to climate change. The adaptive indicators present here, with appropriate modification, could be used to assess adaptive capacity of urban households to climate change from other coastal areas.