Federica Ranghieri

Climate resilient cities : a primer on reducing vulnerabilities to disasters

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is the most populous urban agglomeration in the world, with a population of over 35 million. Due to the concentration of population in Tokyo, as well as its political, economic, and other functions, disasters have very high impact on the affected people as well as the region and the world. Therefore, protecting peoples lives and property from disasters and keeping social assets safe are the basic issues for development of the metropolis. Disaster prevention and risk management are accorded very high priority. In December 1923, Tokyo was severely damaged from the Great Kanto earthquake. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9 and left over 141,000 dead and destroyed over 128,000 houses. The safety of Tokyo has gradually been improved with increased fireproofing of buildings and other preventive measures. However, much remains to be done. Densely built wooden houses and a shortage of open spaces, combined with diversifying household energy uses and weakening actions taken in the event of disasters resulting from the aging population, have been the major causes of the spread of fire, a secondary disaster of earthquakes. For the purpose of introducing an indicator for the development of disaster-resistant cities, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government assesses the vulnerability of each district for earthquakes and announces the results to Tokyo citizens.

Learning from Megadisasters : Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japans Tohoku region. The Great East Japan Earthquake was the first disaster ever recorded that included an earthquake, a tsunami, a nuclear power plant accident, a power supply failure, and a large-scale disruption of supply chains. This report consolidates the set of 36 Knowledge Notes, research results of the joint study undertaken by the Government of Japan and the World Bank. It summarizes the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and provides guidance to other disaster-prone countries for mainstreaming disaster risk management in their development policies. It is clear that financial resources alone are not sufficient to deal with disasters and to spur development. Technical assistance and capacity building are equally important. In Japans case, the project learned how communities can play a critical role in preparing for and coping with natural disasters. Communities can help prevent damage from spreading, maintain social order, and provide support to the vulnerable. Only through technical cooperation can such know-how be passed on to other countries and be adapted to their local circumstances. The chapters that make up the main body of this report are built around the disciplines employed in the traditional disaster risk management cycle. Grouped into seven thematic clusters that track that cycle, the chapters treat structural measures (part 1) and nonstructural measures (part 2) as preventive options. Also covered is the emergency responses put in place after March 11 (part 3) and described the planning behind the reconstruction process (part 4). The handling of risk assessment and communication before and after the disaster are the subject of part 5. Part 6 deals with risk financing, insurance, and fiscal and financial management; part 7 with the progress of recovery and relocation.

A Workbook on Planning for Urban Resilience in the Face of Disasters : Adapting Experiences from Vietnam’s Cities to Other Cities

This workbook is intended to help policy makers in developing countries plan for a safer future in urban areas in the face of natural disasters and the consequences of climate change. It is based on the experiences of three cities in Vietnam, Can Tho, Dong Hoi, and Hanoi, that worked with international and local experts under World Bank supervision to develop local resilience action plans (LRAPs) in 2009-10. An LRAP is a detailed planning document that reflects local concerns and priorities based on the experiences of the past and projections for the future. It is not a wish list of projects that may never be completed because they are too costly or lack political support. Rather, it should be a realistic document that describes and establishes priorities for specific steps that can be undertaken in the near term to adapt to both climate related and other hazards. Regardless of their size, location, political orientation, or technical capacity, other cities can learn from the experiences of these pilot cities to develop their own LRAPs. The purpose of this workbook is to adapt the initial experiences of Can Tho, Dong Hoi, and Hanoi to benefit the national government and other communities in Vietnam and beyond. Indeed, the process described in this workbook was later adopted in the cities of Iloilo, the Philippines; Ningbo, China; and Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and the concluding chapter of this workbook draws on some of the lessons learned in these cities. However, the workbook, while generalizable to other contexts, largely reflects the Vietnamese experience.