“Flourish in the right place at the right time”: The survivability factors of D-I-Y urbanism projects against the odds

D-I-Y urbanism projects contribute to urban planning and management as small-scale interventions at the micro level. However, because of their nature as small-scale social projects, these initiatives sometimes do not last long. There is currently a dearth of studies that assess D-I-Y urbanism from the survival perspective of the project. This study aims to analyse the survivability factors of D-I-Y projects that help maintain them operating. A community-based waste management project called “waste bank” is used as an illustration to reveal the factors at play. Using an epidemiological approach, survival analysis and space-time scan statistics, we found that neighbourhood characteristics have a more significant impact on survivability than the projects themselves, suggesting the importance of being in the right place at the right time. The key factors include the existence of help each other culture, the prevalence of local community figures, the number of other D-I-Y projects, and clusters of like-minded people. Time also plays a role in determining the project's survival, such as sudden events (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic) and the introduction of new government policies. • Urban neighbourhood sociocultural profile is more important than the D-I-Y project itself. • Identifying the right neighbourhood and the right timing for a D-I-Y project could increase the project’s survivability. • Clusters of neighbourhoods with socially-oriented people could increase the project’s survivability and resilience. • Urban planners and policymakers need to identify the neighbourhood suitability before implementing a D-I-Y project.