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1 – 10 of over 7000Chamindi Malalgoda, Dilanthi Amaratunga and Richard Haigh
Although, a number of initiatives have been taken after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami to institutionalise disaster risk reduction (DRR), gaps still exist in the Sri Lankan…
Abstract
Purpose
Although, a number of initiatives have been taken after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami to institutionalise disaster risk reduction (DRR), gaps still exist in the Sri Lankan local government sector. Even after ten years, local governments are still struggling to overcome a number of challenges in relation to making resilience in the built environment. DRR has not yet been properly integrated into the local government system and, as a result, poses a significant challenge. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to discover the hindrances for local governments in creating disaster resilient built environment within cities and to propose ways of overcoming the identified limitations.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted among experts from Sri Lanka who are involved in disaster management, local governments and built environment fields of study. The interviews were conducted with the intention of gaining expert knowledge pertaining to this field of study. The interviews were mainly designed to capture the current practices for instigating DRR initiatives within Sri Lanka, the role of local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment and the associated challenges, and ways of overcoming such challenges to ensure an effective contribution to city resilience.
Findings
Primary data discovered 36 challenges along with some associated sub-challenges. The challenges were categorised under eight main themes: legal framework; lack of adequate tools, techniques and guidelines; human resource constraints; funding constraints; weaknesses in the internal systems and processes; weaknesses in the external systems; community engagement; and other challenges. The paper analyses these challenges in detail and proposes a set of recommendations to overcome the challenges in order to create disaster resilient built environments within cities.
Research limitations/implications
The paper provides a descriptive analysis of how the Sri Lankan local government sector could overcome the underpinning challenges of contributing to disaster resilience in the built environment and no comparative studies were conducted with in other tsunami affected regions. Furthermore, the paper analyses partial findings of a broader research, which was aimed at developing a framework to empower local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment.
Originality/value
The paper provides an extensive analysis of the challenges faced by local governments in contributing to the resilience of their built environment and proposes how these challenges could be overcome while making a worthwhile contribution to both theory and practice. Accordingly, the paper recommends major changes in policy and practice with respect to bringing local governments into DRR.
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Chamindi Malalgoda and Dilanthi Amaratunga
This research aims at making recommendations to empower the Sri Lankan local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment. Disasters make a huge impact on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims at making recommendations to empower the Sri Lankan local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment. Disasters make a huge impact on the built environment. In turn, failure of the built environment can create significant impacts on social and economic activities. Thus, when moving towards safer cities, it is important to develop the built environment in such a way that it can withstand threats posed by natural disasters. Various stakeholders need to get involved in the process of making a disaster resilient built environment, of which the local governments need to play a critical role, as they are the closest government body to the local community. However, local governments are facing a number of challenges in responding to city resilience activities.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts case studies as its research strategy and investigates three cities in Sri Lanka which are potentially vulnerable to disasters. A number of expert interviews have also been conducted to supplement the case study findings.
Findings
The paper presents the challenges faced by the Sri Lankan municipalities in creating a disaster resilient built environment and provides recommendations to empower municipalities to effectively contribute to city resilience. The paper suggests amending policies related to establishment of municipal councils and disaster management to provide more authoritative powers for municipalities to effectively engage in city resilience building. Findings also revealed the importance of addressing financial and human resource issues, which were the main drivers of hindrance. Furthermore, all relevant urban development plans, risk maps, disaster resilient planning, construction and operation guidelines and resilient land use practices need to be integrated into existing planning and building regulations, and proper monitoring and control mechanisms have to be established to ensure compliance with the regulations. In doing so, it is important to raise awareness of council officials of disaster risks and resilient practices by way of organising educational programmes such as seminars and workshops. It is also suggested that municipal officials should be involved in national-level decision-making with regard to their local areas and to establish proper communication channels to exchange decision and information related to city resilience.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on case studies in three cities and a number of expert interviews, which are limited to the Sri Lankan context. Inputs from other cities from developed countries may further validate the recommendations.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the challenges faced by the local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment within Sri Lankan cities and provides recommendations as to how the local governments could be empowered in creating a disaster resilient built environment within cities.
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Chamindi Malalgoda, Dilanthi Amaratunga and Richard Haigh
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and challenges for Sri Lankan local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment within urban Sri Lankan cities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and challenges for Sri Lankan local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment within urban Sri Lankan cities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a literature review and a case study conducted in the Batticaloa city of Sri Lanka, supported by expert interviews among local and other government officials, policy makers, practitioners and academics who are engaged in disaster management and urban planning within the country.
Findings
The literature and empirical data reveal that local governments are facing a number of challenges in contributing to making cities resilient to disasters. Some of the issues that have emerged are inadequate financial and human resource capabilities; a lack of knowledge of disaster risks and vulnerabilities; the need for long‐term political commitment; a lack of focus on pre‐disaster planning; inadequate legislative authority; a lack of clear cut responsibilities and coordination among agencies; and a lack of involvement in major development activities, physical planning and regulation of land use. It is important to address these challenges faced by local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment in a holistic manner to ensure effective disaster risk reduction within cities.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on partial findings of research which aims to explore and propose mechanisms to empower the Sri Lankan local governments to make cities more resilient to disasters, within the context of the built environment.
Originality/value
The paper identifies the weaknesses of the current institutional arrangements in place for creating a disaster resilient built environment in Sri Lanka and highlights the challenges faced by a local government in creating a disaster resilient built environment within a Sri Lankan city.
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Hamed Khatibi, Suzanne Wilkinson, Heiman Dianat, Mostafa Baghersad, Khaled Ghaedi and Ahad Javanmardi
The study aims to use DfX to develop a comprehensive database of smart and resilient indicators that assists city administrators and authorities alike. The Smart and Resilient…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to use DfX to develop a comprehensive database of smart and resilient indicators that assists city administrators and authorities alike. The Smart and Resilient Cities Indicators Bank (SRCIB) will identify the level of smart and resilience determinants that will simultaneously provide ways to improve the city's infrastructure to meet smart and resilient objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Design of excellence (DfX) is adopted in dissecting from four best indicators of established systems, and a database of indicators is developed and specified in diverse ways. A new indicator system is then created for smart and resilient cities.
Findings
The proposed indicator bank consists of four layers consisting of dimension, sub-dimension, key issues and the number of indicators resulting from four different indicator systems that the study have analysed.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed indicator bank is an exploratory approach that needs to be tested in a real scenario because the urban systems are complex inter-related systems with too many variables that may influence actual outcomes. Thus, the proposed indicators bank does not attempt to quantify or solve related urban issues commonly address in smart and resilient city concepts but more to enhance the management of attaining towards smart and resilient specifications.
Practical implications
The proposed indicator bank is an exploratory approach that needs to be tested in a real scenario because the urban systems are complex inter-related systems with too many variables that may influence actual outcomes. Thus, the proposed indicators bank does not attempt to quantify or solve related urban issues commonly address smart and resilient city concepts but more to enhance the management of attaining smart and resilient specifications.
Originality/value
The study builds a robust guide for assessing smart and resilient cities that is yet a widely accessible assessment framework. The proposed SRCIB allows local authorities and relevant stakeholders of typical cities to better manage its urban agenda towards smart and resilient city objectives when specific indicators are defined. Besides, a smart city can become resilient; likewise, a resilient city can become smart as the SRCIB is comprehensive.
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Hamed Khatibi, Suzanne Wilkinson, Mostafa Baghersad, Heiman Dianat, Hidayati Ramli, Meldi Suhatril, Ahad Javanmardi and Khaled Ghaedi
This paper aims to develop a framework that could establish and further the terminology of smart city/resilient city discourse in that resilience could support urban “smartness”…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a framework that could establish and further the terminology of smart city/resilient city discourse in that resilience could support urban “smartness”, a term that is widely argued being not easily measured nor quantifiably assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative approach was employed, and based on selected keywords, a systematic literature review was carried out to understand the main themes within the smart city and resilient city concepts databases. Upon screening, 86 papers were used and synthesised through the meta-synthesis method using both synthesis approach, meta-aggregation and meta-ethnography that systematically identifies both properties and characteristics, to build an innovative framework as an indicator-based smart/resilience quantification model.
Findings
Two novel frameworks are proposed, smart resilient city (SRC) and resilient smart city (RSC), as guidelines regulatory that establish a city's smartness and resilience.
Research limitations/implications
The quantitative research phase is not provided as the framework builds on the exploratory approach in which the model is proposed through the postulation of data definitions.
Practical implications
Although the study's scope was limited to the city, proposed frameworks may be interpreted for other contexts that deal with the topic of resilience and smart.
Originality/value
The established framework proposal would encourage further exploration in context, serving as an inspiration for other scholars, decision-makers, as well as municipalities to keep strengthening smart city through resilience factors.
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Anna Visvizi, Colette Mazzucelli and Miltiadis Lytras
The purpose of this study is to navigate the challenges irregular migratory flows generate for cities and urban systems. The migration and refugee crises that challenged Europe in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to navigate the challenges irregular migratory flows generate for cities and urban systems. The migration and refugee crises that challenged Europe in 2015-2016 revealed that the developed world cities and urban areas are largely unprepared to address challenges that irregular migratory flows generate. This paper queries the smart and resilient cities’ debates, respectively, to highlight that migration-related challenges and opportunities have not been explicitly addressed in those deliberations. This creates a disconnect between what these debates promise and what cities/urban systems increasingly need to address on a daily basis. Subsequently, a way of bridging that disconnect is proposed and its policy-making implications discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
To suggest ways of navigating irregular migration-inflicted challenges cities/urban areas face, a nexus between the smart cities and resilient cities’ debates is established. By placing advanced sophisticated information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the heart of the analysis, a novel dynamic ICTs’ enabled integrated framework for resilient urban systems is developed. The framework’s dynamics is defined by two hierarchically interconnected levers, i.e. that of ICTs and that of policy-design and policy-making. Drawing from qualitative analysis and process tracing, the cross-section of policy design and policy-making geared towards the most efficient and ethically sensitive use of sophisticated ICTs is queried. Subsequently, options available to cities/urban systems are discussed.
Findings
The ICTs’ enabled integrated framework for resilient urban systems integrates the effectiveness of migrants and refugees’ policy design and policy-making in human-centred thinking, planning and policy-design for resilient urban systems. It places resilient approaches in the spotlight of research and policy-making, naming them the most effective methods for promoting a humanistic smart cities and resilient urban systems vision. It highlights critical junctions that urban systems’ stakeholders must consider if the promise of emerging sophisticated ICTs is to be employed effectively for the entire society, including its most vulnerable members.
Research limitations/implications
First, when designing ICTs’ enabled integrated resilient urban systems, the key stakeholders involved in the policy-design and policy-making process, including local, national and regional authorities, must employ a holistic view to the urban systems seen through the lens of hard and soft concerns as well as considerations expressed by the receiving and incoming populations. Second, the third-sector representatives, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other actors, need to be seen as peers in integrated humanistic networks, thereby contributing critical, unbiased knowledge flows to infrastructures, which promote fair and inclusive participation of migrants and refugees in local economies.
Practical implications
The ICTs’ enabled integrated framework for resilient urban systems promotes a humanistic smart cities’ and resilient urban systems’ vision. It suggests how to design and implement policies apt to meet the needs of both receiving and incoming populations along value chains specific to smart and resilient cities. It promotes emerging sophisticated ICTs as the subtle, yet key, enabler of data ecosystems and customized services capable of responding to critical societal needs of the receiving and the incoming populations. In addition, the framework suggests options, alternatives and strategies for urban systems’ stakeholders, including the authorities, businesses, NGOs, inhabitants and ICTs’ providers and vendors.
Originality/value
The value added of this paper is three-fold. At the conceptual level, by bringing together the smart cities and resilient cities debates, and incorporating sophisticated ICTs in the analysis, it makes a case for their usefulness for cities/urban areas in light of challenges these cities/urban areas confront each day. At the empirical level, this analysis maps the key challenges that cities and their stakeholders face in context of migratory flows and highlights their dual nature. At the policy-making level, this study makes a case for a sound set of policies and actions that boost effective use of ICTs beyond the smart technology hype.
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In this chapter the objective is to link the causes (risks) with the need of disaster resilient entities (urban areas) in an era in which the climate is changing and natural…
Abstract
In this chapter the objective is to link the causes (risks) with the need of disaster resilient entities (urban areas) in an era in which the climate is changing and natural hazards are likely to occur more frequently and more severely (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007). The previous chapters defined what a resilient city is and how it can be understood, but another question may arise subsequently: how to measure a disaster resilient city? This is what this chapter is about: to develop a tool that is capable of adequately addressing the vulnerable parts of a city's functional system, and additionally, its responsive capacity to cope with a potential disaster. This tool – named Climate Disaster Resilience Index, which is only the process of measurement, or Climate Disaster Resilience Initiative (CDRI), which encompasses all aspects of this approach – shall demonstrate how different functionalities of a city can be assessed in a comprehensive single attempt. Accordingly, the CDRI is more than just a tool to measure the condition of a city at a certain point of time; it also has the wider ambition to lead communities and local governments onto a path of sustainable development that ought to increase the overall resilience level of their city to climate-related disasters. As a result, the CDRI tool shall serve as an urban planning tool depicting the sectors within an urban context that are more or less resilient.
Udari Gunarathna, Chaminda Senarathna Bandara, Ranjith Dissanayake and Harsha Munasinghe
The lessons learned from the 2004 tsunami phenomenon fueled the government and other local authorities to strengthen the legitimate background to mitigate such devastation in…
Abstract
Purpose
The lessons learned from the 2004 tsunami phenomenon fueled the government and other local authorities to strengthen the legitimate background to mitigate such devastation in future events. This study aims to propose a standardized tsunami-resilient construction guideline for Sri Lanka by integrating existing local and international standards.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive literature survey was carried out to undertake the study, with a wide-ranging content and thematic analysis of existing tsunami-resilient construction aspects in Sri Lanka. Integrating all existing guidelines with international standards, finally, a consolidated guideline with significant tsunami-resilient building aspects was proposed for stakeholders involved with the resilient built environment in tsunami-prone areas, particularly during the building construction in the coastal belt.
Findings
The existing tsunami-resilient guidelines in Sri Lanka follow similar aspects but in different dimensions. Compared to the international standards, few significant aspects create a gap in local guidelines. Thus, the findings demonstrated that the existing local guidelines must be modified and strengthened by mainstreaming into international practices.
Research limitations/implications
Existing guidelines are more concerned with structural aspects. Nevertheless, proper integration of local and international guidelines would be more favorable to minimizing existing local guidelines’ gaps. Further, a standardized tsunami-resilient building guideline would be a referring document for all stakeholders in tsunami-resilient constructions.
Practical implications
By aligning local guidelines with international standards, the reliability of the guidelines will be increased and direct the built environment to quality disaster-resilient constructions.
Social implications
Through a standardized guideline, the community can rely on tsunami-resilient construction in coastal cities.
Originality/value
The consolidated guideline further contains the essentials of city resilience in tsunamis and would be an excellent reference for relevant stakeholders than aligning with several guidelines.
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Helena Molin Valdés, Dilanthi Amaratunga and Richard Haigh
The purpose of this paper is to provide an update of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) campaign on Making Cities Resilient.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an update of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) campaign on Making Cities Resilient.
Design/methodology/approach
An opinion piece written by the Director a.i. of UNISDR and the Editors of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment.
Findings
The campaign will continue and the focus will shift to more implementation support, city‐to‐city learning and cooperation, local action planning and monitoring of progress in cities.
Originality/value
Continued advocacy will seek to commit more cities and increase the support by national governments to support city resilience and local capacities.
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Maria Vera-Castro, Aldo Alvarez-Risco and Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales
This chapter explains how smart cities can be resilient in pandemic times through small business continuity strategies. A review of definitions of smart cities and urban and…
Abstract
This chapter explains how smart cities can be resilient in pandemic times through small business continuity strategies. A review of definitions of smart cities and urban and business resilience is presented to understand smart cities' resilience. The City Resilience Index is introduced as a tool that cities can use to measure and monitor their resilience in which the economy and social dimension highlight business continuity as a factor in promoting a sustainable economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses, as the engine of smart cities, have made their vulnerability to crises more evident and lack a roadmap or guideline to help them become resilient; for this reason, some business continuity strategies are proposed based on business paper reviews.
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