Making cities resilient to disasters: “new” ten essentials

Abhilash Panda, Dilanthi Amaratunga

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The growth of cities has resulted in a concentration of risk for people and assets alike. Catastrophes such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Cyclone Nargis (which struck Myanmar just four years later) have led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. These disasters also brought economic catastrophe: millions lost their homes and livelihoods; cities were reduced to rubble; economic growth and development were set back by years, or even decades in some cases. Left unchecked, the cost of climate change could account for some 20% of global GDP by the end of this century. Much of that bill will have to be paid for by cities and businesses (Axa, 2016).
Resilience planning is a complex issue that falls under the responsibility of multiple departments within governments. While some cities have set up plans that centralize the multiple aspects of resilience planning, others have integrated adaptation and resilience across departments and sectors. Cities are implementing both long-term adaptation measures as well as more immediate response activities. Given the nature of the challenges that cities will face, long term planning and adaptation to the changing environment will be crucial for surviving the worst impacts of climate change. It is, therefore, necessary to move beyond plans that simply identify the potential for disaster and to outline emergency responses.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 6th International Conference on Building Resilience
Subtitle of host publicationBuilding Resilience to Address the Unexpected
EditorsN Domingo, S Wilkinson
Place of PublicationAukland
PublisherMassey University
Pages109-129
Number of pages21
ISBN (Print)9780473372682
Publication statusPublished - Sep 2016
EventThe 6th International Building Resilience Conference 2016: Building Resilience to Address the Unexpected - University of Auckland , Auckland, New Zealand
Duration: 7 Sep 20169 Sep 2016
Conference number: 6
https://www.irdrinternational.org/news/603 (Link to Conference Information)

Conference

ConferenceThe 6th International Building Resilience Conference 2016
Country/TerritoryNew Zealand
CityAuckland
Period7/09/169/09/16
Internet address

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