The SPACE4ALL Project: Accounting for the Hazard Exposure of the Urban Poor: Combining Remote Sensing and Citizen Science

Slums and informal settlements are among the most common forms of urban development in Africa. These areas often lack essential infrastructure and services, face socioeconomic disparities, and are increasingly vulnerable to climate risks such as floods. The Space4All project aims to promote sustainable urban development by integrating advanced geospatial technologies with locally grounded approaches to analyze the intersection of livability and flood exposure in pilot cities in Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique. To develop a scalable approach, we use open data such as Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The methodology combines state-of-the-art AI models, Earth Observation data with Citizen-generated data collected via a custom app. The results highlight deprivation hotspots, revealing the intersection of spatial inequalities and flood exposure. Flood exposure is assessed through a comprehensive approach that integrates local knowledge gathered from workshops in informal settlements with flood models and historical rainfall data. This research provides actionable insights for urban planners, policymakers, and NGOs to prioritize targeted interventions and investments, fostering resilience through community-driven approaches.