INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS ISSUE The Importance of Urban e live in an era of Resilience W unprecedented urbanization. Since 2008, for the ccording to the cities can provide, the poor first time in human history, A United Nations' flock to cities leading to more people live in cities and World Urbanization the emergence of slums. towns as compared to the Prospects 2014 edition, by The urban poor are countryside. Moreover, the 2050, 66% of the world's especially vulnerable, number of city and town population are expected having fewer resources, dwellers is expected to swell up to be living in urban living and working in to 5 billion by 2030. This great areas. This is an increase areas with less number has huge implications of 120% since 1950, when infrastructure, greater for the risk profile of urban only 30% lived in urban hazards and often facing centres. centres. Over the next 35 marginalization by the years, the bulk of the rest of the urban As the pressure on the resources growth will be in Africa population and local of urban centres gets escalated, and Asia. Currently, 40% government. more and more people get and 48% of these populations live in pushed into the column of cities, significantly less than the Urban environments, however, can vulnerability. This issue of worldwide average of 54% today. hold great opportunities in the Southasiadisasters.net focuses on However by 2050, these rates are technology and network power it has the theme of urban risk and expected to grow to 56% and 64% access to. The concentration of power resilience. This issue has been respectively, catching up with the and resources, government and media titled 'Towards Urban world average. India, China and in urban centres can shine a spotlight Resilience' as it contains articles Nigeria are together expected to make on urban challenges. Strong markets detailing the efforts made by up 37% of the projected growth and business hubs can assist urban various agencies and between 2014 and 2050. Whereas not communities to self-recover following organizations to reduce the long ago the world's largest cities were crisis events. However the complexity risks faced by urban centres. found in the most developed regions, of urban systems means that often The theme of urban resilience today's largest cities are to be found in opportunities go underutilised. More is also important to focus upon the Global South. The fastest growing and more, urban planners, urban DRR as it is inextricably linked to today are small to medium sized cities. specialists and urban humanitarian broad development outcomes. responders are looking at urban As the world grows increasingly resilience, in other words the degree Meticulously researched and urbanised, communities, to which urban systems and lucidly written, the articles in humanitarians, development actors, communities are able to effectively this issue provide the reader businesses and markets must adapt to adapt and react to the hazards they face. with a broad overview of the the scale, density, and diversity of Approaching urban systems and best practices and interventions urban environments. As the population structures in a holistic way, urban apropos urban resilience with of a city grows, so does the demand on resilience allows us to understand the special focus on Asia. infrastructure and services. Particularly existing infrastructure, systems and Interesting pieces such as the in the faster growing small and networks which help a city mitigate, disaster risk reduction plan of medium-sized cities, this puts pressure prepare for and respond to hazards and Shajahanabad in Delhi and the on local governments which may not crises. With the growing scale, density pilot risk assessment of have sufficient resources to provide for and diversity of urban areas, as well as Ahmedabad have been included. the rapidly expanding population. As the immense potential impact that This issue is a must read for all cities become denser, space is limited urban crises can have, urban resilience those who are interested in the and neighbourhoods are established on broad and ever evolving area of is an important approach. higher risk land. Hoping to take – Leah Campbell, urban resilience. advantage of the opportunities that Researcher, ALNAP 2 southasiadisasters.net July 2014 DRR IN URBAN SPACE The Urban Resilience Approach s the word suggests, "Urban failing which the disaster will take Today, we possess a good number of AResilience" is the capacity of an place. scientific means and knowhows (GIS, urban center to absorb the shock of a forecasting, simulation of scenarios sudden or unforeseen disaster To counter act the roots of the risk and magnitude of disasters' effects, provoked by an event without factors or minimize their effects, we etc.) to understand, to envision and necessitating massive extra territorial need to prepare a systemic analysis to modelise these risks and minimize aids and resources to maintain its (cause & effect link) of all its urban their impacts on settlements. To urban performance quality. These parameters, their strength and encounter the disasters and improve shocks could be of manmade origin vulnerability, their critical resilient the resilient capacity of the (war, social disturbances, invasions, capacity in terms of rupture limit. settlement centers, three basic etc.) or of natural causes (tsunami, Such an analysis (SWOT) will strategies are needed to be developed: flood, cyclone, earthquake, landslides, determine the different measures 1) Anticipation and envisioning of etc.). An event is termed as a 'disaster' necessary to face both the inherent the "causes & effects chain" that only when it causes considerable loss (fixed) risks factors (geographical and constitute the total urban system of life and property leading to a environmental) as well as created of the settlement centre. lowering of the living condition. ones (faulty urbanization, inadequacy 2) Improve the early warning and in infrastructural provision, poor preparedness capacity, The quality of urban resilience or in administration, etc.). In fact, most of infrastructural mobility and other words its absorbing capacity the worst disasters we have so far governance system. depends upon the management experienced are consequences of 3) Incorporating necessary measures quality of its governance system, its unmindful anthropogenic activities in the development program to resources availability, its (urbanization in the flood prone or rectify the planning errors. infrastructural facilities and other risky areas, too near to the sea- maneuverability, the participative shores – especially in the tropical Conclusion dynamics of its citizens and most zones, geologically weak areas, To build up a resilient city, we need importantly its visions and rampant deforestation leading to soil to proceed first with a SWOT preparedness mechanism at all levels erosion and landslides, etc, & etc). ANALYSIS of its urban parameters; to counteract the disasters and particularly those that are vulnerable emergencies. The magnitude of disaster is to disaster and to determine how to measured by its impact on human life. minimize their weakness and to In fact, an urban center is a complex However, the majority of our urban improve their reactive capacities. entity of a total system composed of settlements are situated in various Improve the existing resilient innumerable sub-systems risk areas and are continuing their capacity of the sub-systems. Build up representing different urban physical expansion under public awareness to causes of elements and parameters. They are development pressure (an increasing disasters and their participatory interlinked and acting in an proportion of population is becoming mechanism to meet disaster situation. interactive manner holding this total urban), pushing these centers to Provide effective early-warning system in equilibrium. If any or more growing threats of risks. Today, the measures to build up up-stream of these sub-systems or their linkages global climatic changes constitute the preparedness actions. Undertake with the total system is threatened most vulnerable risk that the correct planning actions to minimize by an external force or event of high humanity has ever confronted with, or eradicate disaster causing elements. magnitude such as a disaster, the leading to consequential effects on all shock is transmitted throughout the aspects of planetary life system. We Only through such combined actions entire urban system triggering a set cannot remove our vulnerable can we improve the resilient capacity of chain reactions between them to settlements (specially in developing of our urban centers. prevent rupture. If the shock is not countries) but we can strengthen their – Hari Baral, Architect, strong enough to break their chain resilience capacity to minimize the Town & Regional Planner, Director i.e., within their resilient capacity, the magnitude of disasters. ENVITEC Paris, France urban center can withstand the shock; July 2014 southasiadisasters.net 3 RISK RESILIENCE How Resilient is India's Infrastructure? nvestments in infrastructure are economic growth of 8.4% under its finds that this need is especially Iessential for India's economic 12th five-year development plan, and pronounced in the North East India; growth. But how resilient is expects nearly half of that to be high altitude towns such as Leh in infrastructure in India? Is existing financed by the vibrant private sector. Ladakh; coastal district headquarters