Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

Mitigating the impacts of disasters
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Non-engineered or indigenous structures are dominant in
many cities around the world. For instance, almost 90 per
cent of Kathmandu’s buildings are non-engineered. 34
Although indigenous construction techniques are not always
inferior to modern ones, in many disasters, especially those
associated with earthquakes, it is the non-engineered or
indigenous buildings that are most damaged and that kill the
most people. 35 Indigenous styles are not of themselves inherently
dangerous. Where traditional building skills persist and
are valued by contractors, and where good quality materials
are used, indigenous building techniques can be hazardproof,
as well as retain local built heritage. Unfortunately,
under rapid urbanization, the majority of non-engineered
structures have not been built to such high standards.
Indigenous buildings are considered by some to fall
outside the scope of engineering science. However, this view
is changing and offers an opportunity for partnerships
between engineers, artisan builders and low-income households
to improve building safety. New knowledge is a
necessary component of a comprehensive strategy for
improving the quality of indigenous buildings, most of which
are constructed outside the formal housing and planning
systems. In addition to a lack of knowledge, indigenous
housing is made unsafe by a lack of financial resources and
the number of competing demands on household budgets,
many of which require more immediate attention than disaster
risk-proofing.
Given the constraints of poverty and the reality of
competing demands, complete seismic resistance in indigenous
housing may not be attainable. However, improvements
to enhance security can be made to ensure that key buildings
will not suffer complete collapse and that damage incurred
will be of a type that can be quickly repaired. These are the
aims of the National Information Centre of Earthquake
Engineering in India, 36 which has undertaken research on
improved security for indigenous buildings in fried-brick,
stone, wood, earth and non-engineered reinforced concrete.
Engineering advice is available in the report Guidelines for
Earthquake Resistant Non-Engineered Construction
produced by the National Information Centre. 37 Growing
interest among engineers in research and the training of
builders, architects and planners in safe building design for
non-engineered structures offer major opportunities for
safer cities.
Training
Universities and technical institutes have long been at the
forefront of disaster risk reduction through research and
teaching on design aspects for disaster-resilient cities. But
more can be done. There are opportunities for integrating
disaster awareness within curricula, even for non-specialist
degrees. This is a mechanism for fostering awareness of
disaster risk reduction as a cross-cutting concern for all
seeking careers in urban development, engineering design,
project management, housing and urban planning. Box
12.10 describes some of the initiatives of the Asian Disaster
Preparedness Centre (ADPC), which has a long track record
in professional training for urban disaster risk reduction.
The potential for e-learning opens much additional
scope for professional training in design for risk reduction.
The United Nations Disaster Management Training
Programme 38 was launched in 1990. The programme is
delivered at distance, but promotes national and regional
workshops. Since 1990, more than 70 workshops have
been organized, benefiting approximately 6000 participants
in developing and transitional countries. The workshops
have supported national efforts to revise national disaster
management plans and legislation and to create and
strengthen national and United Nations disaster management
teams. They have generated follow-up training events
that disseminate learning to community levels, and have led
to the initiation of technical projects supported by the
UNDP, other partner agencies and donor governments. It is
notable in this programme that urban disaster risk is not
flagged as a priority for action, although many generic issues
are covered that would benefit those engaged in urban risk
management. Individual universities also coordinate disaster
management training courses, often with distance
learning components.
Climate change, building and
infrastructure design
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
expects climate change to affect urban populations through
rising sea levels, increased hazard from tropical cyclones,
flooding, landslides, heat and cold waves, as well as
challenges of urban water quality and storage. Changing
physical parameters require adaptation in building and infrastructure
design. 39 Cities in low- and middle-income
countries are doubly at risk. Many cities are located in tropical
and subtropical climatic zones where climatic hazards are
already a constraint on development, and face extreme financial
and technical constraints and limited adaptive capacity.
The location of large urban centres in coastal areas exposed
to hydro-meteorological hazards is a significant risk factor.
Box 12.10 Professional training in urban risk management:
The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) story
There are opportunities
for integrating
disaster awareness
within curricula,
even for
non-specialist
degrees
Through educational work and professional training, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre
(ADPC) has helped to incorporate disaster risk reduction aims and techniques within related
disciplines such as engineering, environmental management, hydrology and planning. In Asia, the
ADPC engages with a number of universities and lists 15 specialist centres for disaster research
in the region among its network. The centre also works in partnership with the European
Union (EU).
The ADPC offers e-learning programmes on disaster risk reduction. South–South learning
has also been facilitated by the centre and delivered by national partners. For example, the
Prince of Songkhla University and the University of Chiang Mai in Thailand undertook training
in risk assessment with planners from the people’s Democratic Republic of Lao’s Urban
Research Institute.
In addition, the ADPC offers a range of short courses for professionals on a regular
basis. Courses include earthquake vulnerability for cities, flood risk management, technological
risk management, urban fire risk management, urban disaster mitigation, land-use planning and
risk management, as well as hospital preparedness for emergencies.
Source: ADPC, 2005