Socio-ecological resilience in heritage urbanism: hydro-cultural socio-ecological system in the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat, Bangladesh

Abstract

Abstract Socio-ecological resilience has become central to climate adaptation discourse in heritage contexts, yet its application to pre-modern deltaic urban systems remains insufficiently explored. This study examines the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat (15th-century Bengal) as an integrated hydro-architectural urban system embedded within a flood-prone estuarine landscape. Drawing on socio-ecological systems (SES) theory and adaptive governance scholarship, the research introduces the Hydro-Cultural Socio-Ecological System (HC-SES) framework to interpret resilience in deltaic heritage settlements. The framework is operationalised through a dual-index evaluation model, comprising an Environmental Impact Index (EII) and a Sustainability Index (SI), designed to assess adaptation strategies embedded within historic urban morphology. Empirical analysis combines GIS-based measurement of reservoir networks, morphometric assessment of architectural parameters—including plinth elevation, masonry thickness, and cornice articulation—and typology-based classification of 54 documented urban elements. Indicator weighting was conducted through a two-round Delphi–Analytic Hierarchy Process involving thirty experts (CR = 0.09). Results indicate that Bagerhat’s resilience emerged through the coordinated interaction of three subsystems: hierarchical reservoir infrastructure that moderated hydrological variability, climatically calibrated architectural forms that facilitated passive environmental regulation, and governance structures that sustained long-term infrastructural maintenance. The findings demonstrate that climatic adaptation was structurally embedded within the urban landscape rather than implemented through reactive engineering. By extending socio-ecological systems analysis into the domain of heritage urbanism, the HC-SES framework provides a structured method for evaluating adaptive capacity in historic cities and offers insights for climate-resilient heritage management in contemporary deltaic environments .