In this chapter, the linkages between environment- and disaster-related issues are reviewed in the context of urban planning in developing countries. The focus is on urban areas, with the aim to understand processes in urban systems that are distinct from those in rural villages/towns. Over the...

In the scientific field of climate change adaptation (CCA), the focus on cities has grown steadily in recent years. Increasing population figures especially in developing countries, and overall in cities, demonstrate a key challenge for institutions, communities, economies, and the natural...

One of the emerging reasons for the current trend of increasing impacts of disasters is the unpredictability of natural hazard events coupled with the tendency of human settlements to move to vulnerable locations including coastal areas in search of economic gains. Urban areas are most affected...

We live in a world which continues to experience dramatic suffering and loss of life due to natural hazards. The disaster paradigm has accelerated efforts towards resilience building, particularly since the adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), a ten year plan to build the resilience...

Preface / Rajib Shaw, Hari Srinivas, Anshu Sharma -- Introduction to urban risk reduction / Hari Srinivas, Rajib Shaw, Anshu Sharma -- Urban disaster risk analysis, action planning and implementation management / Phong Tran, Fumio Kaneko, Rajib Shaw, Lorna P. Victoria, Hidetomi Oi --...

Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. Extreme weather events have long been causes of disasters independent of climate change, leading to destruction of infrastructure, loss of lives, and loss of assets. However, the changes and increases in impacts brought about by climate...

Urbanization is a complex dynamic process playing out over multiple scales of space and time. It is both a social phenomenon and a physical transformation of landscape that is now clearly at the forefront of defining current and future trends of development. The key challenge for effective urban...

Risk assessments are the very basis on which planning and implementation are carried out. In the context of urban risk management, the assessment processes are complex to understand as they involve multi-sectoral parameters. Many of the issues involved are of technical nature, but this also...

Cartago City is located in the central valley of Costa Rica. Situated at the southern foot of the Irazu volcano and characterized by rugged mountainous topography, the city in general is exposed to multiple natural hazards including floods, volcanic eruption, and pyroclastic flows. Indeed, the...