Abstract
The closure of Dolly, formerly one of the largest red-light districts in Southeast Asia dismantled a long-standing socioeconomic ecosystem and generated profound consequences for families whose livelihoods, identities and social relations had been shaped by the area. This study examines how family resilience emerged in the post-closure context by identifying the major challenges confronted by households and the adaptive strategies they developed to rebuild stability. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation and document analysis and were analyzed using Spradley’s ethnographic procedures to identify underlying cultural patterns of adaptation. The findings reveal three primary challenges: a sudden economic collapse following the loss of daily income streams, psychological instability linked to identity disruption and social ambivalence within the surrounding neighborhood. In response, families employed four interconnected adaptation pathways, namely economic diversification through small-scale home enterprises, socio-moral reconstruction involving value realignment and adjusted parenting practices, psychological adjustment through identity renegotiation and collaborative adaptation supported by community networks and government programs. These results demonstrate that family resilience in post-red-light district environments emerges through a gradual, multidimensional process that integrates economic, moral, psychological and structural adjustments. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how families rebuild their lives amid long-term structural transitions in vulnerable urban settings.
Keywords: Adaptation Strategies, Dolly, Family Resilience, Post-localization, Post-red-light District, Urban Community.