Livelihood vulnerability in Tambak Lorok, Semarang: an assessment of mixed rural-urban neighborhood

Rural and urban types of livelihood are widely different. Rural livelihood refers to human dependence on natural resources, while urban livelihood mostly focuses on urban poverty in which natural resources are regarded as a less significant asset. Tambak Lorok, the largest fishing village in Semarang, Indonesia has a unique combination of urban-rural livelihood characteristics. The rural features are indicated by household dependence on natural resources and low educational level of the head of family, while the urban characteristics are indicated by easy access to various infrastructural services. Accordingly, this study aims to assess livelihood vulnerability in Tambak Lorok as a unique mixture of characteristics between urban and rural neighborhoods. Livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) measurement and factor analysis were applied to assess the level of vulnerability and identify the main factors that affected vulnerability at the household level. The result of LVI assessment indicates that residents in the area have low capabilities to cope with their uncertain sources of income due to their limited capacity. They cannot optimize the potential of their proximity to urban services.