The Role Of Infrastructure In Disaster Risk Reduction

Climate change is increasingly of great concern to the world community. The earth has witnessed the buildup of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, changes in biodiversity, and more occurrences of natural disasters. Recently, scientists have begun to shift their emphasis away from curbing carbon dioxide emission to adapting to carbon dioxide emission. The increase in natural disasters around the world is unprecedented in earth's history and these disasters are often associated to climate changes. Many nations along the coastal lines are threatened by massive floods and tsunamis. Earthquakes are increasing in intensity and erosion and droughts are problems in many parts of the developing countries. This book is therefore to investigate ways to prepare and effectively manage these disasters and possibly reduce their impacts. The focus is on mitigation strategies and policies that will help to reduce the impacts of natural disasters. The book takes an in-depth look at climate change and its association to socio-economic development and cultures especially in vulnerable communities; and investigates how communities can develop resilience to disasters. A balanced and a multiple perspective approach to manage the risks associated with natural disasters is offered by engaging authors from the entire globe to proffer solutions.

The Role of Infrastructure in Disaster Risk Reduction offers a comprehensive disaster-planning framework for the seven infrastructure layers: civil, civic, social, environmental, financial, educational, and cyber infrastructure. This framework includes three steps: 1) disaster impact assessment; 2) infrastructure development strategy (i.e., preparation strategy); and 3) capacity building strategy (i.e., mitigation strategy). With this framework, decision makers can identify vulnerable infrastructure and then make viable investment plans for reinforcing them by designing a well-balanced preparation and mitigation strategy that would build appropriate capacities for achieving the desired resilience. The resilience of communities or industries to disasters depends on the functioning of critical infrastructure. The Role of Infrastructure in Disaster Risk Reduction will be useful for all entities involved in dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters including disaster professionals, first responders, city planners, architects and engineers, educators, and students and researchers working on understanding the need for disaster risk reduction and developing innovative solutions for better decision-making. Describes the role of infrastructure in disaster risk reduction and management as well as capacity building Provides readers with the tools needed to evaluate the criticality, vulnerability, and severity of impact, as well as the need for evaluating and building the necessary capacities for achieving desired resilience Illustrates the important role of disaster risk reduction through case studies

The prevalence of natural disasters in recent years has highlighted the importance of preparing adequately for disasters and dealing efficiently with their consequences. This book addresses how countries can enhance their resilience against natural disasters and move towards economic growth and sustainable development. Covering a wide range of issues, it shows how well thought-out measures can be applied to minimize the impacts of disasters in a variety of situations. Starting with the need for coping with a rapidly changing global environment, the book goes on to demonstrate ways to strengthen awareness of the effectiveness of preventive measures, including in the reconstruction phase. The book also covers the roles played by different actors as well as tools and technologies for improved disaster risk reduction. It focuses on a variety of case studies from across Asia, Africa and Latin America, drawing out lessons that can be applied internationally. This book will be of great interest to professionals in disaster management, including national governments, donors, communities/citizens, NGOs and private sector. It will also be a highly valuable resource for students and researchers in disaster management and policy, development studies and economics.

Disaster Risk Reduction for the Built Environment provides a multi-facetted introduction to how a wide range of risk reduction options can be mainstreamed into formal and informal construction decision making processes, so that Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) can become part of the ‘developmental DNA’. The contents highlight the positive roles that practitioners such as civil and structural engineers, urban planners and designers, and architects (to name just a few) can undertake to ensure that disaster risk is addressed when (re)developing the built environment. The book does not set out prescriptive (‘context blind’) solutions to complex problems because such solutions can invariably generate new problems. Instead it raises awareness, and in doing so, inspires a broad range of people to consider DRR in their work or everyday practices. This highly-illustrated text book provides a broad range of examples, case studies and thinking points that can help the reader to consider how DRR approaches might be adapted for differing contexts.

This book provides an introduction to the critical role of ecosystem-based disaster risk resilience (Eco-DRR) for building community resilience to multiple environmental risks such as rising heat, water stress, and pollution. Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is an Eco-DRR tool that is an under-explored paradigm and can respond as one common strategy to targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP), Climate Agreements (UNEP), the Sendai Framework (UNISDR), and the New Urban Agenda (UNCHS). Highlighted here in a systematic way is the importance of blue-green infrastructures in resilience building. The purpose is to introduce readers to the challenging context of development and opportunity creation for Eco-DRR. The roles of policy, scientific research, and implementation are presented cohesively. An attractive proposition of the book is a collection of case studies from different parts of the world where integration of BGI is experimented with at various levels of success. It envisages that shared tacit experiences from the realm of practice will further strengthen explicit knowledge. The focus in this book is on need and context building, policy and science (investigation, analysis, and design), case studies, and a road map for the future in four successive parts. Each part is self-sufficient yet linked to its predecessor, successor, or both, as the case may be.

Infrastructure has played a critical role in Asia and the Pacific’s rapid economic growth. Roads, bridges, and power networks, among other assets, are part of people’s daily lives, and a foundation for their economic opportunity. But increasing disaster risks and climate change is forcing us to rethink how we manage infrastructure. This publication identifies opportunities to deliver resilient infrastructure across developing Asia. It takes a holistic view of practices that affect infrastructure resilience, including risk assessment, investment appraisal, and operation and maintenance across the life cycle of an asset, as well as overarching approaches to achieving system-wide resilience, financing, and governance objectives.

Disaster risk management is essential in the fight against poverty. Disasters can, in an instant, wipe out decades of hard-fought poverty reduction and development gains and push countless households into poverty. Disasters disproportionally affect the poor: Vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, are at particular risk. East Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-stricken region in the world, suffering from small recurrent as well as rare high-impact events. East Asia is rapidly urbanizing, and cities are becoming disaster hotspots. Unplanned or poorly planned urbanization, which puts more people and assets in harm’s way, is the single largest driver of disaster risk. There is deep uncertainty about future disaster and climate risks, challenging our ability to adapt to new developments and changing the physical and natural environment. Decision makers can make a significant difference by effectively managing disaster risk and building resilience. With education and communication, preparedness, and investments, urbanization can be channeled as a tremendous positive force for development. By decreasing disaster exposure and vulnerability through systematic assessments and communication of risks, better land-use planning, and many other practical measures, the impacts of natural hazards can be reduced significantly. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that the risks of disasters cannot be entirely eliminated, and countries need to plan for failure by considering different scenarios, especially within complex systems and networks. Preventive investments in risk reduction and emergency preparedness can be extremely cost-effective and can greatly reduce the impact of natural hazards. Governments can prioritize actions based on informed decisions about the level of risk to reduce the risks from disasters. Public investments, such as early-warning systems, retrofitting of critical infrastructure at risk, and mainstreaming systematic risk assessments into relevant public investment planning processes, can help to reduce poverty and promote sustainable economic growth. The World Bank supports countries around the world in mainstreaming a comprehensive and integrated approach to disaster risk management into development. The World Bank provides analytical and advisory services, helps to build climate and disaster resilience into core investments across sectors, and offers unique financial solutions to better manage the contingent fiscal risks from disasters.