WORKING SESSION
Land Use Planning for Disaster Risk Reduction
Brief & Concept Note
Brief
1. Why is this topic important?
Sound application and decisions on land use and building codes can reduce risk
significantly. Local governments that are willing, and develop the capacity, to manage
city expansion and land use in the public interest, can do much to create safer and more
inclusive environment. Steering major public and private investments in risk reducing
infrastructure and housing away from hazardous locations, reduces risk for present and
future generations and eliminates the need for expensive corrective measures.
2. What gaps need to be filled?
Integrated approaches to risk reduction are required to tackle the many dimensions of
risks facing municipalities, peri-urban areas and city regions. Disaster risk reduction and
resilience building can therefore be substantially advanced through much more
informal planning, involving a broadening of planning practice, ie beyond land use
planning and regulatory functions, and towards planning approaches that place the
development of sustainable, resilient and equitable cities at their core.
3. What (new) commitments are expected to be achieved?
This session will consider challenges in disaster risk reduction planning and outline good
practices already being implemented. Bringing together representatives from national
and local government, civil society the private sector and planning experts, the session
will use scenario building to explore the roles of each actor and how to strengthen
strategies to reduce risk.
A possible voluntary commitment by the International Society of City and Regional
Planners (ISOCARP) or to support risk-sensitive land use planning and the post-2015
international framework for disaster risk reduction will be sought.
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Concept Note
Schedule
Monday 16 March 2015, 16:00-17:30
Room and Venue
Hagi Hall, Sendai International Conference Centre
Organizing Team
Member States
 Government of Colombia, National Unit of Disaster Risk
Management
 Representative of an African State (tbc)
 Members of the SRSG’s Urban Planning Advisory Group:
- Barbara Lipietz, University College London, UK
- Richard Sliuzas, University of Twente, Netherlands
- Jorgelina Hardoy, Instituto Internacional de Medio
Ambiente y Desarrollo de América Latina, Argentina
UNISDR Focal Points
Ricardo Mena (rmena@eird.org)
Background and
Rationale
See box above
Session Objectives
1. Present good practices and challenges surrounding the
incorporation of risk reduction in existing land-use planning
and management practices at the local level.
2. Make practical recommendations on how to ensure that local
governments have access to the information, tools and
capacities necessary to develop and implement risk-sensitive
land-use planning.
3. Reframe land-use planning towards a more transformative
notion of planning that puts the development of risk-sensitive,
resilient and sustainable cities and communities at its core.
Discussion agenda and
structure
The session will evolve around a multi-hazard scenario. Panelists
will be asked to reflect on their approach and tools at hand to
manage the hypothetical situation.
The session will address how to progress from the state of
managing contradictory interests, money versus safety and
growth versus better overall planning and the following
interrelated issues:
- What are the main constraints of DRR-informed
planning (in terms of resources, institutional capacities,
etc.)?
- In what ways must land-use planning be supplemented
to make for more risk-sensitive and resilient-building
planning (stakeholders, scale, etc.)?
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-
How best to move from DRR planning to DRR
implementation, reconciling conflicting priorities
between access to land, natural hazards, climate change
and rapid urbanization?
Proposed scenario:
1. Introduction and welcoming remarks by
Explanation of the session’s dynamic (5 mns).
Moderator.
1a. Setting the stage: A city of approximately 1 million inhabitants
with flood risk affecting an area of mixed uses that includes an
industrial site and an informal settlement lacking most basic
services. The flood risk in this case is associated with rains in
the upper basin (outside the city´s administrative area) and
incomplete or not adequately maintained risk reduction
infrastructure work along the river basin.
1b. Presentation of panelists:
a. Government representative
b. Mayor participating in the MCR campaign
c. International expert in land use planning
d. Civil society organization
e. Private sector - Representing developers or
infrastructure building companies
Panelists will discuss their approach to address the flood risk
situation presented, given the role they have and existing
strengths and constraints within their own working structures
(5x7 mns).
2. Moderated discussion (30 mns): This will trigger a discussion
on institutional frameworks (ideal vs possible), priority
actions, appropriate plans and tools, and long term approach
for transformative planning. The conversation will be opened
to the floor after comments by 3 specialized commentators.
3. Wrap up by panelists (5x3 mns)
4. Wrap and conclusion by the moderator (5 mns)
Expected outcomes
The session will make practical recommendations on how to
ensure that local governments have access to the information,
tools and capacities necessary to develop and implement risksensitive land-use planning ready for implementing a post2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
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Commitment / special
announcement in
support of a post-2015
framework for DRR
To be confirmed
Expected number of
participants
500
Background
documents
C
Suggested: GAR 2011 contributing paper: Creating an enabling
environment for reducing disaster risk: Recent experience of
regulatory frameworks for land, planning and building in low and
middle-income countries (Cassidy Johnson)
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