Adaptation and coping have been frequently compared. However, their relationship is still in dispute. So far, three approaches have been suggested: interchangeable, distinct and interrelated. We argue that the third is the most useful as it provides insights into how long-term adaptation can be achieved by a series of short-term coping mechanisms. Within this focus, we interpret adaptation in a novel way: as a complex cumulative result based on the interaction between multiple coping mechanisms and vulnerability dynamics. As such we reorient Smit et al.’s work on “cumulative adaptation”. Our empirical case is slum households affected by floods from the Mekong River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The inquiry is based on 119 surveys and 25 semi-structured interviews in nine slum communities. The results capture new trajectories of adaptation (or maladaptation), livelihoods and local collective action. The article explores implications for local development in slum communities in the global South.

适应和应对经常被比较。但是，他们之间的关系仍然存在争议。到目前为止，已经提出了三种方法：可互换，独特和相互关联。我们认为，第三种方法最有用，因为它提供了一系列短期应对机制如何实现长期适应的见解。在此重点内，我们以一种新颖的方式来解释适应：作为基于多种应对机制与脆弱性动态之间相互作用的复杂累积结果。因此，我们重新定位了史密特等人关于“累积适应”的工作。我们的经验是贫民窟家庭受到柬埔寨金边湄公河洪水的影响。该调查基于对9个贫民窟社区的119次调查和25次半结构化访谈。结果捕获了适应（或适应不良），生计和地方集体行动的新轨迹。本文探讨了全球南方贫民窟社区对当地发展的影响。