Role of urban design and planning in disaster risk reduction

Recent disasters in cities worldwide have highlighted the fragility of built environments to a range of hazards and increased concerns about the resilience of cities, with contemporary discussions considering how physical/protective interventions can be integrated into the built environment. It is important for the numerous stakeholders involved with the construction industry to take responsibility for integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities into the planning, (re)design, construction and operation of the built environment. It is fundamentally important to understand which stakeholders should be involved and when their inputs are needed. Utilising two case studies in Jerusalem and Nottingham the role of key stakeholders in the integration of DRR activities into the urban design and planning process is evaluated. It is argued that there is a general lack of consensus regarding the roles of stakeholders and their levels of participation. This paper identifies the commonalities and differences between key stakeholders who should be responsible for integrating DRR activities into urban design and planning and emphasises the gaps in stakeholders' involvement. It is argued that there is a need to engage construction stakeholders with a wider range of stakeholders who are typically not extensively involved in DRR, and ensure interaction among them.