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Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 13846

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rajib Shaw

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa 252-0882, Japan
Interests: disaster governance; emerging technology; urban resilience; climate change adaptation; risk communication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Mikio Ishiwatari

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Frontier sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba-ken 277-8563, Japan
Interests: disaster risk reduction; climate change adaptation; water issues
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your excellent responses to the first special volume. In this second volume, we maintain the focus on similar topics related to urban disasters, resilience, and sustainability. As we have seen in the last 1.5 years, disasters are becoming complex and the approaches for risk reduction require new ways of adaptive governance. Urban areas are often known for the coexistence of contrasts. This contrast is gradually becoming larger in terms of poverty, access to services, digital inequality, etc. Achieving urban resilience and sustainable urban development requires a holistic approach covering both ends of the wealth spectrum (rich and poor) as well as a reduction of the digital divide. The effects of climate change are stronger in urban areas in terms of both stresses and shocks, and the risks are becoming complex, cascading, and compounded. Urban resilience is also strongly linked to rural resilience, where urban–rural partnerships and connectivity become important in terms of different types of resources such as water, food, energy, etc. This Special Issue invites papers on different dimensions of urban resilience, linked to disaster and climate change issues, as well as to biological hazards such as an epidemic or pandemic. This Special Issue will focus on how sustainable development paradigms are affected by these factors and what relationships exist with urban resilience. We also invite papers on Natech (natural hazard-induced technological disasters), all hazard approaches, adaptive governance and systemic risks, etc.

Prof. Dr. Rajib Shaw
Prof. Dr. Mikio Ishiwatari
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

urban resilience
adaptive governance
climate change adaptation
sustainable development
urban rural linkages

Related Special Issue

Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (10 articles)

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 4676 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nature-Based Resilience: Experiences of Five Cities from South Asia

by Mahua Mukherjee, Deepthi Wickramasinghe, Imon Chowdhooree, Chimi Chimi, Shobha Poudel, Bhogendra Mishra, Zainab Faruqui Ali and Rajib Shaw

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 11846; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191911846 - 20 Sep 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3700

Abstract

As in many other parts of the world, the urban areas of the South Asian region are increasingly expanding. While cities today are the heart of commercial, technological and social development, they are also vulnerable to a variety of natural and anthropogenic threats. The complex urban infrastructure, and the ever-expanding population in cities, exacerbate the impacts of climate change and increase the risk of natural hazards. Throughout history, various hydrological disasters including floods, tidal surges, and droughts, and non-hydrological disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, and storms have led to catastrophic social, economic and environmental impacts in numerous South Asian cities. Disaster risk reduction is therefore central to ensure sustainability in urban areas. Although Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are identified as a promising strategy to reduce risk and increase resilience, there appears to be a lack of evidence-based approaches. NbS are measures that can be practiced to obtain benefits of nature for the environmental and community development through conserving, managing, and restoring ecosystems. Against this backdrop, the South Asian cities provide opportunities to evaluate capacities for achieving Nature-based Resilience (NbR) through NbS. This study documents insights from five cities of five different countries of the South Asian region which are subjected to a wide array of disasters: Barishal (Bangladesh), Phuentsholing (Bhutan), Gurugram (India), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Colombo (Sri Lanka). The primary objective of this study is to provide evidence on how NbS are being practiced. Thus, some success stories in cities under consideration are highlighted: restoration of natural canals through integrated development plans and community participation (Barishal), concepts of Gross National Happiness (GNH) and minimal nature interventions (Phuentsholing), “Greening cities’’ including eco-corridors, vegetation belts, biodiversity parks (Gurugram), proper land use planning aims at different disasters (Kathmandu), and wetland restoration and management with multiple benefits (Colombo). These cases could therefore, act as a “proxy” for learning from each other to prepare for and recover from future disasters while building NbR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability)

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18 pages, 4981 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Awareness and Impediments to Disaster Preparedness of Foreign Residents in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Japan

by Bismark Adu-Gyamfi and Rajib Shaw

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11469; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191811469 - 12 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2235

Abstract

The likelihood of a mega-earthquake, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the threat of other disasters in the Tokyo Metropolitan area have necessitated collective responsibilities to take all possible actions to reduce their impacts. The experiences from past disasters have, however, highlighted the plight of foreign residents in coping with disasters and have reinvigorated calls for rigorous counteractions. As the population of foreign residents continues to increase in the metropolis, this research examines their awareness of risks and the obstacles that hinder disaster preparedness in the wake of future disasters. An Extended Parallel Process Model is utilized to analyze both secondary and primary data sources, and the results reveal that 65% perceive the severity of disaster as a threat and believe in a likelihood of occurrence in the city; however, the confidence to undertake some recommended countermeasures are lacking (with low efficacy of 70%). This is causing many to control their fear by not actively seeking further risk information or participating in disaster prevention activities. In consideration of these instances, the study recommends a collective approach built upon the merits of stakeholder engagements to provide vicarious experiences, verbal persuasions, and mastery experiences to boost the response capacities of foreign residents for disaster preparedness. This will be relevant for city authorities to enhance risk communication and foster foreigner–Japanese community integration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability)

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21 pages, 1071 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Protection Motivation Status and Factors Influencing Risk Reduction Measures among the Flood-Prone Households in Bangladesh

by Md. Sazzad Ansari, Jeroen Warner, Vibhas Sukhwani and Rajib Shaw

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11372; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191811372 - 09 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1613

Abstract

Bangladesh, a low-lying deltaic country, experiences recurrent floods. To reduce the subsequent losses and damages, self-preparedness measures are imperative. In that context, the present study attempted to assess the flood protection motivation status of local flood-prone households through the evaluation of threat and coping capacities, as well as the identification of the factors that influence preparedness actions. Using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this study employed a mixed-method approach at three different flood-prone locations in Bangladesh: (1) Type 1 settlement, an area with ‘hard (flood embankment)’ flood risk reduction measures; (2) Type 2 settlement, without any risk reduction measure; (3) Type 3 settlement, with ‘soft’ measures put in place as part of NGO-led disaster risk reduction interventions. The study findings revealed a comparatively higher protection motivation status among the respondents living in the Type 3 settlement, in terms of evaluating the flood risk and capacity to take flood preparedness measures. The correlation analysis further illustrated that the factors of the perceived probability and severity of flooding, coping capacity, previous flood experience, reliance on NGO interventions, and gender status had an influence on the protection motivation of flood-prone households. Remarkably, no such influence was found for socio-economic factors such as education and income. It is hoped that the study findings can support the future decision-making process for designing preparedness interventions for communities in flood-prone areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability)

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14 pages, 3902 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Urban Community Function Loss in China under Flood Disaster Based on Social Network Analysis Model

by Lianlong Ma, Dong Huang, Xinyu Jiang and Xiaozhou Huang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11094; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191711094 - 05 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1446

Abstract

The increasing frequency of floods is causing an increasing impact on urban communities. To identify the key influencing factors of functional loss in Chinese urban communities under floods, this paper explored the influencing factors and factor combinations through a social network analysis approach using the 265 cases of urban communities in China affected by floods collected from 2017–2021 as research data. The key influencing factors and factor combinations were identified comprehensively using multiple indicator analyses such as core-periphery structure, node centrality, and factor pairing. The analysis results showed that “road disruption”, “housing inundation”, and “power interruption” are the three most critical factors affecting the functional loss of urban communities in China under floods, followed by “residents trapped”, “enterprises flooded”, and “silt accumulation”. In addition, “road disruption–housing inundation”, “housing inundation–residents trapped”, and “road disruption–residents trapped” are the most common combinations of influencing factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability)

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17 pages, 1750 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hierarchical Structure Model of Safety Risk Factors in New Coastal Towns: A Systematic Analysis Using the DEMATEL-ISM-SNA Method

by Chenlei Guan, Damin Dong, Feng Shen, Xin Gao and Linyan Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191710496 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1568

Abstract

When a coastal town transforms from a rural area to an emerging city, it faces many safety risks. Some are new risks from urban construction, while some are traditional risks that belong to this coastal area. The joint efforts of these risks may lead to new hazards, harming public health, but this problem has not been noticed in previous studies. Therefore, this study constructs the Triangular Framework for Safety Risk in New Towns to identify the risks and proposes strategies to reduce the risks. In this study, multiple methods are integrated, including Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), and Social Network Analysis (SNA). This study takes the Lin-gang Special Area in China as a case study to verify the framework’s effectiveness. Sixteen disaster-causing factors are identified, and the internal linkages among these factors are clarified. Results show that the hybrid method performs well in quantitatively analyzing the risk factors of new coastal towns. A typhoon, public risk perception, and population migration are essential influencing factors. Disaster prevention capability of high-rise buildings, disaster prevention capacity of port facilities, and transportation are the most direct influencing factors. Environmental degradation is the most conductive among all elements. This study contributes to the theoretical theory by proposing an effective framework to analyze the safety risks in new coastal towns. In addition, it provides practical references for governments to make emergency plans in the city. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 1875 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Managing Compound Hazards: Impact of COVID-19 and Cases of Adaptive Governance during the 2020 Kumamoto Flood in Japan

by Takako Izumi, Sangita Das, Miwa Abe and Rajib Shaw

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19031188 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2277

Abstract

Japan experienced natural hazards during the COVID-19 pandemic as some other countries did. Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures, including many other parts of southern Japan, experienced record-breaking heavy rain on 4th July 2020. While many countries were affected by compound hazards, some cases such as the Kumamoto flood did not cause a spike of the COVID-19 cases even after going through massive evacuation actions. This study aims to understand how COVID-19 made an impact on people’s response actions, learn the challenges and problems during the response and recovery phases, and identify any innovative actions and efforts to overcome various restrictions and challenges through a questionnaire survey and interviews with the affected people. With an increase in the risk of compound hazards, it has become important to take a new, innovative, and non-traditional approach. Proper understanding and application of adaptive governance can make it possible to come up with a solution that can work directly on the complex challenges during disasters. This study identified that a spike of COVID-19 cases after the disaster could be avoided due to various preventive measures taken at the evacuation centers. It shows that it is possible to manage compound hazard risks with effective preparedness. Furthermore, during emergencies, public-private-partnership as well as collaboration among private organizations and local business networks are extremely important. These collaborations generate a new approach, mechanism and platform to tackle unprecedented challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Edition of Urban Disaster Resilience and Sustainability)

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