Making Cities Resilient Report 2012

Photo: UNISDR
The City of Kobe, Japan, with 1.5 million inhabitants, suffered great losses during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in January 1985
(7.2 Richter scale), disrupting the activities of one of the busiest ports in the region. The recovery focused on creating a safer city,
where complex infrastructure and service systems are balanced with human interaction, education and community cooperation.
Other types of engineering solutions for increasing
resilience include actions to reduce wind damage,
construction of cyclone shelters, and installation
of fire hydrants. In Colombo, a tree maintenance
unit prunes and trims roadside trees to avoid wind
damage (17). In Moshi, fire hydrants have been
installed around the city to cope with settlement
fires. Many cities are investing in cyclone shelters.
In Mumbai, four cyclone shelters (which can house
approximately 3,000 disaster-affected persons)
have been constructed with World Bank support.
These are used as schools during normal times (25).
“Global environmental change is one
of the main challenges every city has
to cope with in order to secure the wellbeing,
health and wealth of its citizens.
As Vice Chair of the World Mayors
Council on Climate Change, I am more
than aware of the need for action.”
Jürgen Nimptsch, Mayor of Bonn.
Upgrading or relocating informal settlements
It is common in cities in low- and middle-income nations for 20-50 per cent of the population to live in informal
settlements. The major challenges for resilience lie in developing the necessary basic infrastructure for
water, sanitation and drainage, improving roads and supporting housing improvements. Upgrading makes
low-income settlements and cities more resilient to a range of natural hazards, including flooding and
fires. Some cities are addressing these issues though slum upgrading projects and programmes that aim
to improve housing and infrastructure.
In Makassar, 42 urban slums have been upgraded, including the rehabilitation of 475 houses (financial
support from local and national budgets) and the construction of rental housing. Mumbai’s Municipal
Corporation rehabilitated 1,769 residential and 349 commercial structures and the state’s Slum Improvement
Board built 288 retaining walls on 74 sites (24). Kenya’s national Slum Upgrading Programme is undertaking
a pilot programme to upgrade informal settlements in flood-prone communities. Moshi’s city council has
partnered with the national government to initiate a small informal settlement-upgrading programme to
improve roads and drainage systems and provide waste management (40).
52 | Making Cities Resilient Report 2012