Co-building hyperlocal resilience: integrating the past with the present for a sustainable future—a framework for probable contextual replication from the old city of Jodhpur

In the face of escalating climate hazards, traditional urban resilience strategies often overlook the transformative potential of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). This study operationalises a novel, co-productive framework that bridges this critical gap by integrating IKS into climate action and disaster risk reduction, using the historical city of Jodhpur, India, as a case study. The research moves beyond a mere functional integration of traditional wisdom by employing a decolonial and feminist epistemological lens, which repositions IKS as a legitimate methodology for knowledge production and re-frames women as agents of structural change rather than passive knowledge bearers. Through a mixed-methods approach that combines hyperlocal climate data analysis, participatory action research (PAR), and evidence-driven scientific assessments, the study systematically engages with, negotiates and co-produces knowledge by treating IKS as a living, situated and performative practice that resists simple codification. Residents from multiple municipal wards participated in mutual learning spaces that revealed the critical role of women as custodians of climate wisdom, while also highlighting the systemic impediments to their meaningful participation in formal planning processes. Scientific validation, including an architectural assessment and the co-design of a low-cost, community-owned heat-humidity monitoring device, demonstrated that traditional architectural features reduce indoor temperatures by a minimum of 3°C, thereby grounding traditional wisdom in contemporary science. Key outcomes include the co-creation of Jodhpur’s first IKS-integrated Heat Action Plan and a youth-led initiative that revitalised historical water management practices through performative arts. The study’s contribution lies in its rigorous, multi-tiered framework, which offers a probable framework for contextual replication in other urban settings by foregrounding the principles of equitable knowledge co-production and empowering community members to drive their own resilient futures.