Lynne Njeri Mbajiorgu

Building Resilient Communities: Planning for Natural Hazards Risks in Small and Mid- Sized Municipalities in Alberta, Canada by Lynne Njeri Mbajiorgu A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University of Alberta © Lynne Njeri Mbajiorgu, 2019 PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS ii Abstract Land-use planning is a vital discipline in the discourse on climate change and disaster risk reduction because of its role as a long-term non-structural mitigation measure. Planners can gather and analyze evidence-based data to influence decision-makers on how to minimize vulnerability via a risk-based approach. The costs of extreme weather events and natural disasters in Canada are on the rise, yet municipalities continue to allow development in high-risk areas such as floodplains, wildland-urban interphase or areas prone to erosion and subsidence. This dissertation is a qualitative study that examined the role of land-use planning in natural hazard mitigation in four small and mid-sized municipalities that experienced major natural disasters (drought, floods, and wildfires) between 2011 and 2016 in the Province of Alberta, Canada. Methods included key informant interviews, focus groups, and content analysis of Municipal Development Plans and land-use bylaws. Results found that small and mid-sized municipalities are using existing legislative planning authorities to implement various resilient actions in land use planning for floods, wildfire and drought risks. However, three critical gaps remain. There are inconsistencies in the application of risk-based approaches -such as risk avoidance- in local plans and bylaws with respect to flood plain management. The study found that although Alberta has an established FireSmart wildfire management program, more adaptive measures can be legislated in land use bylaws to recognize the wildland urban interface as a constraint that requires mitigation. Small and mid-sized municipalities in the study jurisdiction lack stringent legislative or regulatory guidance to reduce floods and drought risk, on private, municipal land. The study concludes that continued development in hazard areas is not a PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS iii failure of land-use planning, but rather, a reflection of the complexities and dynamics of historical settlement patterns, governance, path dependencies and market demand/lifestyle choices. Recommendations are that small and mid-sized municipalities, as well as higher order governments, must proactively prioritize land-use planning as a natural hazard mitigation measure and as a long-term adaptation strategy, to steer development away from hazard areas. Land-use planners have a profound responsibility to influence, guide and advice decision-makers about risk mitigation measures throughout the land-use development process, starting from bare undeveloped land to the issuance of development permits. Prioritizing public safety and the protection of life and property should always take precedence as a matter of public interest. Therefore, decisions about how and where to build, when considering flood, wildfire or drought risks, must be made within an acceptable level of risk that errs on the reduction of future risk exposure and vulnerability. PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS iv Preface This thesis is an original work by Lynne Njeri Mbajiorgu. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board 1, “Integrative Land-use Planning and Natural Hazard Mitigation Planning in Small Municipalities,” Pro00066379, on September 1, 2016. PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS v Dedication “When you go, remember that there is nothing that has been done by another human being that you cannot also do.” These are the sage words of advice from my maternal grandmother, “Cucu” which were shared with me before leaving Kenya as a young adult to pursue a Canadian education. Cucu is a mother of ten, who learned to read, write and count through an adult education program. I visited her often to see her organic cows, coffee plantations, poultry farm and sugar-cane which grew in the valley of a well-served stream. I had the pleasure of knowing my maternal great-grandmother Cucu wa Kianda, who sat by a mango tree daily keenly watching the going ins and outs of the farm. Illiterate, but mentally sharp, Cucu wa Kianda informally taught me the beauty of warm hugs, and friends to share tea and sweet yams roasted over a three-stone stove in a little adobe house. I also remember my paternal Cucu whom I visited as a little girl, picking tea at the plantation, snacking on fresh wild fruit from bushes and trees, and crossing clear water streams on a wobbly wooden footbridge. I sincerely thank my parents for taking my brother and me to visit our elders during school breaks. I treasure the precious, short times, spent with these wonderful, great- and grandmothers. PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS vi Acknowledgments I want to express my sincere gratitude to my doctoral supervisory committee for their insights and unwavering support. My academic supervisor, Dr. Sandeep Agrawal, the Inaugural Director of the University of Alberta’s School of Urban and Regional Planning Program who recognized and supported the importance of this research for planning practice in an Alberta context. I extend sincere thanks to the members of the supervisory committee: Dr. Naomi Krogman, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology and Dr. Rob Shields, Henry Marshall Tory Chair, Department of Sociology, for their encouragement and advice to stay focused and intentional about my research. Lastly, thank you to Vinton Spencer for assisting with copy editing under short timelines. Many thanks to my dear husband Ferdinand Mbajiorgu, for his unwavering support and for stepping in to ensure that our children allowed Mama ‘to do her homework.’ I thank my mother, Susan Wambui Mwangi for taking care of us so lovingly and selflessly, and my father, Richard Karanja Kiiru, for keeping me grounded and humble. I also extend my gratitude to my extended uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends, for their support through the years. Above all, I am grateful to the One who holds all things together: my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Like Abraham, I too “confidently look forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God” (Hebrews 11:10). PLANNING FOR NATURAL HAZARDS vii Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................... iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................v Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... vi Contents ........................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................x List of Figures ............................................................................................................... xi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................... xii Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................... xiii 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background and Context .......................................................................................1 1.2 Research Problem ..................................................................................................5 1.3 Purpose Statement .................................................................................................7 1.4 Research Questions ................................................................................................8 1.5 Overview of Methodology .....................................................................................9 1.5.1 Purposive sampling...............................................................................11 1.5.2 Research study sites ..............................................................................13 1.5.3 Data collection types and analysis ........................................................14 1.6 Planning for Natural Hazards ..............................................................................17 1.7 Theoretical considerations ...................................................................................20 1.7.1 Public interest .......................................................................................20 1.7.2 Temporal nature of risk ........................................................................24 1.8 Significance .........................................................................................................27 1.9 Assumptions and delimitations ............................................................................28 1.10 Organization of the Dissertation ..........................................................................29

Load more