Cities at Risk: Planning for and Recovering from Natural Disasters (Global Urban Studies)

Filion, Pierre; Sands, Gary

ISBN 10: 1472441680 / ISBN 13: 9781472441683

Published by Ashgate Publishing Company, 2015

About this Item

pp.

Seller Inventory # 373489386

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cities at Risk: Planning for and Recovering from Natural Disasters (Global Urban Studies)
• Publisher: Ashgate Publishing Company
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472441680
• ISBN 13: 9781472441683
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

As levels of urbanization increase around the world, the growing concentrations of population and economic activity increases vulnerability to natural disasters. Interdependencies among urban populations mean that damage to the built environment, including water, sewer and energy infrastructure, can affect millions. Even if there is no change in the rate of occurrence of natural disasters (an unlikely prospect in the face of ongoing climate change) the potential for human and economic loss will continue to increase, along with the time required to recover. How do cities prepare for and recover from natural disasters? In this book, the authors provide a broad overview of the issues related to the impacts of disasters on cities around the world, from assessing risks to accounting for damages. The comparative approach across different types of disasters in a range of urban locations is useful in identifying opportunities for policy transfer. While there is no ’one size fits all’ solution to hazard mitigation, valuable lessons can be learned from the experiences of others. The chapters emphasize different modes for assessing hazard risk, as well as strategies for increasing the resiliency of vulnerable populations.

About the Author

Pierre Filion is Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Waterloo in Ontario Canada. Gary Sands is Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning at Wayne State University in Detroit. Mark Skidmore is Professor of Economics at Michigan State University where he holds the Morris Chair in State and Local Government Finance.