Sustainable and Disaster Resilient Urban Development

With the increasing unplanned urbanization, their impacts are increasing, which is primarily associated with poorly planned and unmanaged urban development, degraded ecosystems, and poverty. Unplanned urbanization has been a challenge, increasing the vulnerability of cities to natural as well as man-made hazards. As per the 2011 census, 31% of India’s population lives in urban areas (GoI). According to the United Nations Population Fund’s State of the World Population Report, 2007, by 2030, 40.76% ofIndia’s population will live in its urban area. According to a study by the United Nations, almost 890 million people across the globe (60% of the global population) live in cities that are at risk of at least one major natural hazard —floods, droughts, cyclones, or earthquakes (UN 2012). In 2011, 80% of global disaster-related economic losses occurred in the Asia and Pacific region. Though only 40% of all disasters triggered by natural hazard events in the world occur in Asia, 88% of affected people reside in this region (ADB, 2013).
Disaster is defined as an event or a series of events that give rise to casualties and damage or loss of properties, infrastructure, environment, essential services or means of livelihood on such a scale which is beyond the normal capacity of the affected community to cope with. Disaster is also sometimes described as a “catastrophic situation in which the normal pattern of life or eco-system has been disrupted and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives and or the environment” (DMI, 2011).