Land use planning for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation

Abstract

Purpose The Hyogo Framework for Action focussed disaster risk reduction (DRR) on land-use planning, with international agencies, research organisations and national governments recognising the importance of DRR through hazard informed land-use planning. This paper aims to examine the roles of planners in reducing hazard risk through settlement design, land-use plans and legislation, and identify shortcomings and constraints towards achieving Disaster Risk Reduction. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses community-based research from Australia, Thailand and Indonesia to discuss land-use planning in local governance frameworks following major disasters, including cyclone, flood and tsunami. Findings This paper shows that land-use planning systems are still primarily geared toward promoting and facilitating development and have not evolved sufficiently to take account of DRR and climate change. Social implications Land-use planning frameworks for hazard-resilient communities remain disconnected from the emergency management and disaster risk reduction systems. The goal to create disaster-resilient communities through the land-use planning systems requires a fundamental change to the way in which planning is conceptualised and practised. Social equity is also a huge issue where investment focuses on urban development. Originality/value The study contributes to an understanding of the opportunities and constraints for land-use planning to enhance climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through legislation, policies, regional and local statutory planning schemes, enforceable planning and development controls and building codes.

Land Use Planning for Demographic Change After Disasters in New Orleans, Christchurch and Innisfail

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Estimation of Forest Canopy Cover and Forest Fragmentation Mapping Using Landsat Satellite Data of Silabati River Basin (India)

“…Detection of the patterns of land-use and land cover change gives us an ample scope to implement sustainable management plan. This model is widely applied in different fields such as climate change and its impact on forest, disaster prediction, forest degradation, forest land conversion, and settlement growth within forest tract (David et al 2016). Most popular classification methods are extensively used such as supervised classification, unsupervised classification, parametric and non-parametric classification, and hard and soft classification (Fuzzy classification).…”

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“…It also ensures ‘a safe, productive, and livable urban environment at lower cost as compared to using structural measures’ (Kryspin-Watson et al 2017). Good practice land use planning enhances flood risk management (King et al 2016). It therefore offers planners the opportunity to reduce flood risk and eliminate flood risk creation.…”