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41 – 50 of 62Hoang Hung, Masami Kobayashi and Rajib Shaw
Located at the center of the Red River Delta, Hanoi is the consequence of the unstable balance between soil and water and has witnessed the amicable and adverse…
Abstract
Located at the center of the Red River Delta, Hanoi is the consequence of the unstable balance between soil and water and has witnessed the amicable and adverse relationship between the two elements over a long history. Established as a small town in A.D. 210, Hanoi grew from a harbor on the bank of the Red River to a thriving city and was chosen to be the capital of Vietnam in 1010 as the site had advantageous physical, landscape, and geomancy characteristics. However, the capital had also been confronted with difficulties due to the alluvial process, which raises the level of the watercourse above its normal elevation forcing the inhabitants to take measures such as building a dyke to prevent floods. This chapter analyzes the natural and social conditions as well as several problems that have been affecting urban flood risk management in Hanoi. The chapter ends with practical options and policy measures to address the problems.
Gulsan Ara Parvin, Jonas Joerin, Sunil Parashar and Rajib Shaw
Building a resilient city requires detail and careful assessment of its current level of vulnerabilities and resilience. During such assessment and initiatives it should…
Abstract
Building a resilient city requires detail and careful assessment of its current level of vulnerabilities and resilience. During such assessment and initiatives it should remember that there are large differences in risk and vulnerability within urban areas (Satterthwaite, Dodman, & Bicknell, 2009). It is natural to consider that the vulnerabilities and eventually the resilience level would not be same for all parts of a city, especially one that is relatively larger. A city, especially a large one, covers a substantial and often physiographically heterogeneous area with different exposures and susceptibility to hazards. Furthermore, a city's population and the conditions under which it lives are diverse. Therefore, some parts and peoples of a city may be more vulnerable than others (Klein, Nicholls, & Thomalla, 2004). In fact, cities form different microclimates within them because of the variations of land use, settlement patterns, functions, densities, and characteristics of the residential areas and their communities. All of these diversities contribute to disaster risk; in turn, these affect human development and the resilience of different parts of the city International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).
Nishinomiya City in Japan is one of the most successful cities in implementing eco-community and has served as a particularly influential model, especially through…
Abstract
Nishinomiya City in Japan is one of the most successful cities in implementing eco-community and has served as a particularly influential model, especially through programs on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) which the Japanese Ministry of the Environment recognized as the nationwide environmental education program. Nishinomiya City has been implementing a project, “Environmental Learning City,” where community-based environmental management has been conducted through environmental education programs. And it established an NPO, “the Learning and Ecological Activities Foundation for Children (LEAF),” to facilitate the programs and build partnerships among citizens, businesses, and the local government. As a result, Nishinomiya's eco-community activities have been sustained, and not only environmental improvement but also social cohesion and mutual learning have been achieved.
Glenn Fernandez, Yukiko Takeuchi and Rajib Shaw
Climate and disaster resilience mapping has been discussed in detail in Chapter 3. The Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) as a comprehensive and well-structured…
Abstract
Climate and disaster resilience mapping has been discussed in detail in Chapter 3. The Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) as a comprehensive and well-structured methodology for measuring the resilience of cities is presented, as well as the differences between CDRI and various assessment tools. The resilience of cities, or their agglomerations or subzones, is being measured because cities are seen to be at a suitable level to efficiently initiate action, especially in developing countries where unplanned or haphazard urbanization is a major risk factor. But for climate and disaster resilience mapping to be of value, it should be followed by action planning. Having a vision for the future and charting a course to achieve it is what action planning is about. Studies have consistently shown that vision, planning, and goal setting can positively influence cities’ organizational performance. Action planning can compel future thinking, highlight new opportunities and threats, and refocus a city's mission. Productive action planning focuses on the most critical problems, choices, and opportunities. Action planning requires time and a process. If used effectively, it is a powerful tool for self-management and goal-based achievement. Action planning typically includes deciding who is going to do what and by when and in what order for the city to reach its long-term goals. The design and implementation of the action planning depend on the nature and needs of the city.
The notion of social capital refers to social connections between people, such as networking, trust, norms, etc. Rich and good-condition social capital is supposed to…
Abstract
The notion of social capital refers to social connections between people, such as networking, trust, norms, etc. Rich and good-condition social capital is supposed to enhance collective action in a society. This is why social capital has attracted more attention in the field of development studies and environmental management studies in recent years. However, the forms and conditions of social capital are different in each society and there is no ideal social capital. Therefore, it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of the original social capital and how it can be supplemented. In the environmental learning project in Danang, Central Vietnam, social capital was fostered through the activities of the residents' group. New and strong networks of people have been created among broader neighborhoods. The residents' group created multidimensional networks (bridges) in the society and helped to foster social capital. Eventually, the residents' group is expected to bring success to the participatory urban environmental project by fostering social capital in the local society.
Capacity development (or capacity building, capacity enhancement) is becoming an increasingly important component in development assistance through agreements among…
Abstract
Capacity development (or capacity building, capacity enhancement) is becoming an increasingly important component in development assistance through agreements among multilateral and bilateral donors and developing countries because it is critical for achieving development objectives. Much evidence has indicated that development assistance and projects have not been successful due to capacity constraints; therefore, many training programs for capacity development were implemented and continue to be in demand at various levels.
Farah Mulyasari, Rajib Shaw and Yukiko Takeuchi
The fact that the world is becoming increasingly urbanized is recognized by the United Nations (UNFPA, 2007) in the State of the World Population Report as the “The Urban…
Abstract
The fact that the world is becoming increasingly urbanized is recognized by the United Nations (UNFPA, 2007) in the State of the World Population Report as the “The Urban Millennium.” In year 1950, 30% of the world's population lived in cities and as of recently, the population has reached up to 50%, making year 2007 a turning point in the history of urban population growth (Bigio, 2003; Kreimer, Arnold, & Caitlin, 2003; UN-HABITAT, 2007). By year 2030, the United Nations expects more than 60% of population to be living in cities (Munich Re, 2005). And as shown by Surjan and Shaw (2009), by year 2050, the world's urban population is expected to grow by 3 billion people. Most of this growth will take place in developing countries, with the urban population in cities and towns doubling. As it has been summarized, from 1991 to 2005, more than 3.5 billion people were affected by disasters; more than 950,000 people have taken their lives unwillingly and damages have reached nearly 1,193 billion US dollars. Developing countries will suffer the most from climate change, since they are disproportionally affected and have intrinsic vulnerabilities to hazards and so far have struggled in increasing the capacity for risk reduction measures (Wahlström, 2009). Nevertheless, by contrast, even in the largest and wealthiest countries, which have diversified economies and risk transfer mechanisms, the loss has topped an amount of billions of US dollars, as was the case with Hurricane Katrina in USA in 2005. It has been confirmed with facts over the last two decades (1988–2007) that 76% of all disaster events were hydrological, meteorological, or climatological in nature, whether it occurred in urban or in rural areas.
Phong Tran, Fumio Kaneko, Rajib Shaw, Lorna P. Victoria and Hidetomi Oi
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…
Abstract
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 requires focus on the principles behind the assessment process including participatory assessment tools.
Action planning is a participatory, short-term, visible, output-oriented process that enables urban community groups to plan the development of risk reduction actions in their locality and to lead the implementation of the action plans.
There are three kinds of actions that emerge from an action planning process: (i) those that can be implemented by the community groups themselves, (ii) those that need some external help for implementation, and (iii) those that can only be implemented by specialized agencies from outside the community. Implementation management processes thus need to look at how internal systems can be established to operationalize self-action, and to coordinate external interventions.
Rajib Shaw and Manu Gupta
Risk management is one of the most important means of achieving sustainable development, while education is the most basic intervention required for addressing attitudes…
Abstract
Risk management is one of the most important means of achieving sustainable development, while education is the most basic intervention required for addressing attitudes and changing community practice. Education for sustainable development is in this light a relatively passive yet extremely important intervention for ensuring long-term urban risk management, particularly if we want such risk management to be participatory and deeply engrained in community level practices. Information and communication management is the backbone of all the participatory processes involved in urban risk management. It is a cross cutting theme that touches each stage of the urban risk management process and is critical for ensuring that all the various stakeholders engaged in the activities operate in a coordinated, efficient, and effective manner. Education for sustainable development needs to identify and target such stakeholders who will, in the long run, make a sizeable difference by bringing about sustainability factors within urban field practice. Information and communication management is a means of smoothening the problems in the participatory processes, and for ensuring collectivity.
Glenn Fernandez, Yukiko Takeuchi and Rajib Shaw
In recent years, several studies have focused on city clusters like megacities and mega urban areas, as they concentrate a significant part of the world's human population…
Abstract
In recent years, several studies have focused on city clusters like megacities and mega urban areas, as they concentrate a significant part of the world's human population and critical economic assets in potentially hazardous locations (Yusuf, 2007; WWF, 2009; Kraas, 2007; Jones, 2009). Metro Manila is one of such megacities, where even “regular” disasters affect a large number of people. The rapid pace of urbanization, coupled with an ever-increasing population burden, has significantly increased the overall vulnerability of urban agglomerations to natural disasters. By 2050, world population is expected to reach 9 billion people. Large numbers of people will be concentrated in megacities and on fragile lands, making the reduction of vulnerability to disasters in metropolitan areas a critical challenge facing development. Unmanaged rapid urban growth strains the capacity of national and local governments to provide even the most basic of services such as health, food, shelter, employment, and education. The challenge then is for the national government and most especially the local governments to develop effective policies, programs, and strategies that will help them manage urbanization to ensure development.