Chapter 17 Community-based urban risk reduction: case of Mumbai
Urban Risk Reduction: An Asian Perspective
ISBN: 978-1-84855-906-6, eISBN: 978-1-84855-907-3
Publication date: 18 December 2009
Abstract
Risk reduction in cities of fast developing nations is both an opportunity and a big challenge. It is an opportunity because cities are considered efficient spatial forms of human habitation where smart interventions can be optimized. However, involvement and ownership of urban society is a big challenge. This paper illustrates these challenges and opportunities with an example of India's largest city – Mumbai. It discusses Mumbai's key drivers of risk, contributing factors to vulnerabilities and places it in the context of the 2005 flood – a disaster of a scale never experienced before. Citizen–government partnerships emanating from community-based small-scale initiatives for improving neighborhood's environment are analyzed. The paper concludes that there are enormous benefits in scaling up the participatory approaches, which result in reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing resilience of cities. Urban risk reduction will remain a daunting task if not built around these existing strengths of cities and their citizens.
Citation
Surjan, A., Redkar, S. and Shaw, R. (2009), "Chapter 17 Community-based urban risk reduction: case of Mumbai", Shaw, R., Srinivas, H. and Sharma, A. (Ed.) Urban Risk Reduction: An Asian Perspective (Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, Vol. 1), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 339-354. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-7262(2009)0000001021
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited