Disaster Risk Reduction for the Built Environment

Disaster risk reduction for the built environment 

Between 2010 and 2015 the world experienced 530 disaster events that affected 140 million people, killed 78 thousand people and caused US$151bn in damages, figures that are testament to the massive (and increasingly) negative impacts that disasters have globally. 

Disaster Risk Reduction for the Built Environment provides a multi–facetted introduction to how a wide range of risk reduction options can be mainstreamed into formal and informal construction decision making processes, so that Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) can become part of the developmental DNA .  The contents highlight the positive roles that practitioners such as civil and structural engineers, urban planners and designers, and architects (to name just a few) can undertake to ensure that disaster risk is addressed when (re)developing the built environment. The book does not set out prescriptive ( context blind ) solutions to complex problems because such solutions can invariably generate new problems. Instead it raises awareness, and in doing so, inspires a broad range of people to consider DRR in their work or everyday practices.

This highly–illustrated text book provides a broad range of examples, case studies and thinking points that can help the reader to consider how DRR approaches might be adapted for differing contexts. 

Other books of interest

Post–Disaster Reconstruction of the Built Environment: Rebuilding for Resilience

Dilanthi Amaratunga, Richard Haigh

ISBN: 978–1–4443–3356–5

July 2011, Wiley–Blackwell

Disaster Response and Recovery: Strategies and Tactics for Resilience, 2nd Edition

David A. McEntire

ISBN: 978–1–118–67302–7

January 2015, John Wiley & Sons

List of figures

List of Tables

Notes on Authors

Foreword

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms

List of case studies

List of thinking points

Section  Introduction to book and concepts

1 Introduction

Climate change and disasters

Impacts of disasters globally

The potential roles of the construction sector in DRR

Scope of the book

2 Disaster Risk Reduction

Key DRR concepts and terms

International approaches to DRR

Community resilience

Risk management

Summary and references

Section Hydro–meteorological hazards

3 Floods

Overview of the typical impacts of floods

Causes of flooding

Riverine floods

Coastal floods

Flash floods

Urban (pluvial) floods

Risk management

Hazard identification

Assessment of the vulnerabilities

Determination of the risk

Identification and prioritisation of risk reduction options

Summary and references

4 Windstorms

Overview of the typical impacts of windstorms

Causes of windstorms

Tropical windstorms (hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons)

Tornadoes

Risk management

Hazard identification

Assessment of the vulnerabilities

Determination of the risk

Identification and prioritisation of risk reduction options

Summary and references

Section Geological hazards

5 Earthquakes

Overview of the typical impacts of earthquakes (inc. tsunamis)

Causes of earthquakes

The natural hazards

Risk management

Hazard identification

Assessment of the vulnerabilities

Determination of the risk

Identification and prioritisation of risk reduction options

Summary and references

6 Volcanos

Overview of the typical impacts of volcanoes

Causes of volcanoes

Types of volcanoes

Risk management

Hazard identification

Assessment of the vulnerabilities

Determination of the risk

Identification and prioritisation of risk reduction options

Summary and references

7 Landslides

Overview of the typical impacts of landslides

Causes of landslides

Risk management

Hazard identification

Assessment of the vulnerabilities

Determination of the risk

Identification and prioritisation of risk reduction options

Summary and references

Section Key considerations and ways forward

8 Key principles

Integrating DRR measures into construction practice

Seven key principles

Summary and references

9 DRR and Sustainability an integrated approach

Integrating resilience and sustainability: why important?

What is sustainability?

Can the built environment be sustainable and resilient?

Summary and references

10 Conclusions: Research and practical challenges

Dynamic factors (and root causes)

Moving away from disaster risk creation

Moving towards a new developmental DNA

Future research and educational challenges

Final thoughts for construction practitioners

About the Authors

Lee Bosher, School of Civil & Building Engineering, Loughborough University Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) who has been based within the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University since 2005. Lee has a background in disaster risk management and his research and teaching includes disaster risk reduction and the multi–disciplinary integration of proactive hazard mitigation strategies into the decision–making processes of key stakeholders, particularly stakeholders from the construction industry. He is coordinator of the International Council for Building (CIB) s Working Commission W120 on Disasters and the Built Environment , has undertaken consultancy work on DRR matters for the United Nations and has been an invited speaker at conferences in USA, UK, Iran, Israel and Pakistan.

Ksenia Chmutina, School of Civil & Building Engineering, Loughborough University Research Associate who has been based within the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University since 2011. Ksenia has a background in sustainability and her research includes synergies of resilience and sustainability in the built environment and resilience of small developing island states. Other research interests are related to the stakeholders engagement in disaster risk reduction activities, policy environment for the DRR, as well as energy efficiency, decentralised energy and energy policy.