Making cities resilient to disasters: “new” ten essentials

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.