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12CHAPTERMITIGATING THE IMPACTS OFDISASTERSRapid urbanizationis … fast becoming aforce shaping who,where and whendisaster strikesThis Global Report has shown that there is no shortage ofevidence for the negative impacts of natural and humanmadedisasters on human life, property and the environmentin urban areas. Rapid urbanization is, in turn, fast becominga force shaping who, where and when disaster strikes.Economic development planning and urban managementsystems that lead to inequality, poverty and poor governancealso accumulate disaster risk in urban areas. Changinghazard landscapes, partly caused by urban growth, but alsolinked to environmental change, further contribute to theneed for a dynamic set of tools and approaches with which toreduce risk and enhance resilience in urban areas.This chapter examines future policy directions in disasterrisk reduction. It concentrates on policies that cancontribute towards effective disaster preparedness andprevention and improved processes of relief, recovery andreconstruction post-disaster. At heart, these are agendas forincreasing the disaster resilience of local communities, civilsociety and government organizations. Policies and practicesat the city, national, regional and international levels areidentified, and the factors underlying their success examined.The need to reduce human vulnerability, incorporate disasterrisk reduction within national planning, and the requirementfor this to be built on interdisciplinary and inter-sectoralcollaboration drive the central concerns of this chapter.The chapter starts by reviewing existing internationalframeworks for supporting national- and city-level risk reductioninitiatives. Specific policy concerns for risk reductionare then outlined, including land-use planning, the design ofdisaster-resistant buildings and infrastructure, early warningand emergency response, and reconstruction. The role ofparticipatory and inclusive strategies and polices in mitigatingdisaster impacts is subsequently considered.INTERNATIONALFRAMEWORKS FOR ACTIONUrban development and disaster risk reduction are two criticalagendas for international development policy and action.Increasing numbers of people and resources based in urbanlocations, and growing numbers of people affected by disasters,have led to the integration of the disaster risk reductionagenda in major international frameworks of action. Thissection examines the ways in which urban disaster riskaffects progress towards achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs), the overarching frameworkinfluencing international and national development policy. Anassessment is then presented of the Habitat Agenda and theHyogo Framework for Action, 2005–2015, two internationalagreements adopted by the majority of governments. Both setout programmes of action to reduce urban disaster risk. Someof the barriers that hinder the integration of disaster riskreduction policies on the ground are also examined.The Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)The MDGs provide an international framework for developmentwork that extends to disaster management. The MDGsare empowered by the Millennium Declaration, 1 which callsfor the international community toand to:intensify cooperation to reduce the number andeffects of natural and man-made disasters (IV,23, v)… spare no effort to ensure that children andall civilian populations that suffer disproportionatelythe consequences of natural disasters,genocide, armed conflicts and other humanitarianemergencies are given every assistance andprotection so that they can resume normal lifeas soon as possible. (VI, 26)During 2001, a road map for the implementation of theUnited Nations Millennium Declaration 2 was released thatprioritized the following agenda for risk reduction:• developing early warning systems, vulnerabilitymapping, technological transfer and training;• supporting interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral partnerships,improved scientific research on the causes ofnatural disasters and better international cooperation to