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Land
Special Issues
Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards
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Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 47191

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. George D. Bathrellos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Climatology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ZC 15784 Athens, Greece
Interests: natural hazards; urban planning; geomorphology; modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hariklia D. Skilodimou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geology, University of Patras, ZC 26504 Patras, Greece
Interests: GIS; geological mapping; environmental geology; natural hazards; land use planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The landscape of the Earth is the product of a complex evolution; it is the result of interactions involving surface progress, climate, tectonic and human activity. In this context, the morphological changes in landforms due to active tectonics or climate changes have the potential to affect and, in some cases, even to control human activities [1,2]. On the other hand, human activity and man-made constructions have the ability to change the landscape and as such have an impact on natural hazards.

Natural hazards are physical phenomena that occur worldwide and contribute to the evolution of the Earth’s landscape. Their associated consequences can lead to damage to both the natural and man-made environment [3]. When these consequences have a major impact on human life, natural hazards are called natural disasters.

On a global scale, overpopulation and urban development in areas prone to natural hazards increase the impact of natural disasters both in the developed and developing world. Generally, natural disasters occur more frequently in relation to our capability to restore the effects of past events [4].

Therefore, in order to minimize the loss of human life and reduce the economic consequences, proper planning, and management of natural disasters are essential. However, consideration of the natural hazards and their influence on landscape evolution during the land use planning stage is essential in natural hazard mitigation and urban disaster management.

For engineers, policy-makers and planners, it is important to employ land use planning based on natural hazard maps in the evaluation and selection of suitable areas for sustainable urban development with fundamental concern for the protection of the environment and of human life.

This Special Issue invites papers dealing with the interactions of natural hazards, human activities and land uses. Papers that address Natural Hazard Assessment Mapping and Land Uses are welcome.

  1. Bathrellos, G.D.; Gaki-Papanastassiou, K.; Skilodimou, H.D.; Papanastassiou, D.; Chousianitis, K.G. Potential suitability for urban planning and industry development by using natural hazard maps and geological-geomorphological parameters. Environmental Earth Sciences 2012, 66 (2), 537–548.
  2. Bathrellos, G.D.; Gaki-Papanastassiou, K.; Skilodimou, H.D.; Skianis, G.A.; Chousianitis, K.G. (). Assessment of rural community and agricultural development using geomorphological–geological factors and GIS in the Trikala prefecture (Central Greece). Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 2013, 27 (2), 573–588.
  3. Bathrellos, G.D.; Skilodimou, H.D.; Chousianitis, K.; Youssef, A.M.; Pradhan, B. Suitability estimation for urban development using multi-hazard assessment map. Science of the Total Environment 2017, 575, 119–134.
  4. Guzzetti, F.; Carrara, A.; Cardinali, M.; Reichenbach, P. Landslide hazard evaluation: a review of current techniques and their application in a multi-scale study, Central Italy. Geomorphology 1999, 31, 181–216.
Dr. George D. Bathrellos
Dr. Hariklia D. Skilodimou
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. Land 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 2600 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

  • Land uses
  • Climate changes and natural hazards
  • Anthropogenic activities and natural hazards
  • Natural hazard assessment models and maps
  • Landscape evolution
  • Urban and rural planning
  • GIS and earth observation in natural hazards and land uses
  • Hazard mitigation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 175 KiB  
Editorial
Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards
by George D. Bathrellos and Hariklia D. Skilodimou
Land 2019, 8(9), 128; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land8090128 - 25 Aug 2019
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4294
Abstract
The Earth’s landscape has a complex evolution and is the result of the interactions involving surficial processes, climate, tectonic, and human activity [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

26 pages, 1421 KiB  
Article
Combating Land Degradation and Desertification: The Land-Use Planning Quandary
by Helen Briassoulis
Land 2019, 8(2), 27; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land8020027 - 01 Feb 2019
Cited by 77 | Viewed by 13256
Abstract
Land-use planning (LUP), an instrument of land governance, is often employed to protect land and humans against natural and human-induced hazards, strengthen the resilience of land systems, and secure their sustainability. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) underlines the critical role [...] Read more.
Land-use planning (LUP), an instrument of land governance, is often employed to protect land and humans against natural and human-induced hazards, strengthen the resilience of land systems, and secure their sustainability. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) underlines the critical role of appropriate local action to address the global threat of land degradation and desertification (LDD) and calls for the use of local and regional LUP to combat LDD and achieve land degradation neutrality. The paper explores the challenges of putting this call into practice. After presenting desertification and the pertinent institutional context, the paper examines whether and how LDD concerns enter the stages of the LUP process and the issues arising at each stage. LDD problem complexity, the prevailing mode of governance, and the planning style endorsed, combined with LDD awareness, knowledge and perception, value priorities, geographic particularities and historical circumstances, underlie the main challenges confronting LUP; namely, adequate representation of LDD at each stage of LUP, conflict resolution between LDD-related and development goals, need for cooperation, collaboration and coordination of numerous and diverse actors, sectors, institutions and policy domains from multiple spatial/organizational levels and uncertainty regarding present and future environmental and socio-economic change. In order to realize the integrative potential of LUP and foster its effectiveness in combating LDD at the local and regional levels, the provision of an enabling, higher-level institutional environment should be prioritized to support phrοnetic-strategic integrated LUP at lower levels, which future research should explore theoretically, methodologically and empirically. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards)
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18 pages, 7197 KiB  
Article
Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Flood Occurrences in the Drainage Basin of Pinios River (Thessaly, Central Greece)
by George D. Bathrellos, Hariklia D. Skilodimou, Konstantinos Soukis and Efterpi Koskeridou
Land 2018, 7(3), 106; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land7030106 - 11 Sep 2018
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 7699
Abstract
Historic data and old topographic maps include information on historical floods and paleo-floods. This paper aims at identifying the flood hazard by using historic data in the drainage basin of Pinios (Peneus) River, in Thessaly, central Greece. For this purpose, a catalogue of [...] Read more.
Historic data and old topographic maps include information on historical floods and paleo-floods. This paper aims at identifying the flood hazard by using historic data in the drainage basin of Pinios (Peneus) River, in Thessaly, central Greece. For this purpose, a catalogue of historical flood events that occurred between 1979 and 2010 and old topographic maps of 1881 were used. Moreover, geomorphic parameters such as elevation, slope, aspect and slope curvature were taken into account. The data were combined with the Geographical Information System to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of flood events. The results show that a total number of 146 flood events were recorded in the study area. The number of flood events reaches its maximum value in the year 1994, while October contains the most flood events. The flood occurrences increased during the period 1990–2010. The flooded area reaches its maximum value in the year 1987, and November is the month with the most records. The type of damages with the most records is for rural land use. Regarding the class of damages, no human casualties were recorded during the studied period. The annual and monthly distribution of the very high category reaches the maximum values, respectively, in the year 2005 and in June. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the floods proves that most of the occurrences are recorded in the southern part of the study area. There is a certain amount of clustering of flood events in the areas of former marshes and lakes along with the lowest and flattest parts of the study area. These areas are located in the central, southern, south-eastern and coastal part of the study area and create favorable conditions for flooding. The proposed method estimates the localization of sites prone to flood, and it may be used for flood hazard assessment mapping and for flood risk management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards)
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18 pages, 5869 KiB  
Article
Physical and Anthropogenic Factors Related to Landslide Activity in the Northern Peloponnese, Greece
by Hariklia D. Skilodimou, George D. Bathrellos, Efterpi Koskeridou, Konstantinos Soukis and Dimitrios Rozos
Land 2018, 7(3), 85; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land7030085 - 19 Jul 2018
Cited by 87 | Viewed by 5524
Abstract
The geological, geomorphic conditions of a mountainous environment along with precipitation and human activities influence landslide occurrences. In many cases, their relation to landslide events is not well defined. The scope of the present study is to identify the influence of physical and [...] Read more.
The geological, geomorphic conditions of a mountainous environment along with precipitation and human activities influence landslide occurrences. In many cases, their relation to landslide events is not well defined. The scope of the present study is to identify the influence of physical and anthropogenic factors in landslide activity. The study area is a mountainous part of the northern Peloponnesus in southern Greece. The existing landslides, lithology, slope angle, rainfall, two types of road network (highway-provincial roads and rural roads) along with land use of the study area are taken into consideration. Each physical and anthropogenic factor is further divided into sub-categories. Statistical analysis of landslide frequency and density, as well as frequency and density ratios, are applied and combined with a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate the collected data and determine the relationship between physical and anthropogenic factors and landslide activity. The results prove that Plio-Pleistocene fine-grained sediments and flysch, relatively steep slopes (15°–30°) and a rise in the amount of rainfall increase landslide frequency and density. Additionally, Plio-Pleistocene fine-grained sediments and flysch, as well as schist chert formations, moderate (5°–15°) and relatively steep slopes (15°–30°), along with the amount of rainfall of >700 mm are strongly associated with landslide occurrences. The frequency and magnitude of landslides increase in close proximity to roads. Their maximum values are observed within the 50 m buffer zone. This corresponds to a 100 m wide zone along with any type of road corridors, increasing landslide occurrences. In addition, a buffer zone of 75 m or 150 m wide zone along highway and provincial roads, as well as a buffer zone of 100 m or 200 m wide zones along rural roads, are strongly correlated with landslide events. The extensive cultivated land of the study area is strongly related to landslide activity. By contrast, urban areas are poorly related to landslides, because most of them are located in the northern coastal part of the study area where landslides are limited. The results provide information on physical and anthropogenic factors characterizing landslide events in the study area. The applied methodology rapidly estimates areas prone to landslides and it may be utilized for landslide hazard assessment mapping as well as for new and existing land use planning projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards)
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13 pages, 3642 KiB  
Article
Flood Hazard Mapping of a Rapidly Urbanizing City in the Foothills (Birendranagar, Surkhet) of Nepal
by Sushila Rijal, Bhagawat Rimal and Sean Sloan
Land 2018, 7(2), 60; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land7020060 - 05 May 2018
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 7564
Abstract
Flooding in the rapidly urbanizing city of Birendranagar, Nepal has been intensifying, culminating in massive loss of life and property during July and August 2014. No previous studies have monitored underlying land-cover dynamics and flood hazards for the area. This study described spatiotemporal [...] Read more.
Flooding in the rapidly urbanizing city of Birendranagar, Nepal has been intensifying, culminating in massive loss of life and property during July and August 2014. No previous studies have monitored underlying land-cover dynamics and flood hazards for the area. This study described spatiotemporal urbanization dynamics and associated land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes of the city using Landsat imagery classifications for five periods between 1989 and 2016 (1989–1996, 1996–2001, 2001–2011, 2011–2016). Areas with high flood-hazard risk were also identified on the basis of field surveys, literature, and the Landsat analysis. The major LULC changes observed were the rapid expansion of urban cover and the gradual decline of cultivated lands. The urban area expanded nearly by 700%, from 85 ha in 1989 to 656 ha in 2016, with an average annual growth rate of 23.99%. Cultivated land declined simultaneously by 12%, from 7005 ha to 6205 ha. The loss of forest cover also contributed significantly to increased flood hazard. Steep topography, excessive land utilization, fragile physiographic structure, and intense monsoonal precipitation aggravate hazards locally. As in Nepal generally, the sustainable development of the Birendranagar area has been jeopardized by a disregard for integrated flood-hazard mapping, accounting for historical land-cover changes. This study provides essential input information for improved urban-area planning in this regard. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards)
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16 pages, 2098 KiB  
Article
Coastal Hazard Vulnerability Assessment Based on Geomorphic, Oceanographic and Demographic Parameters: The Case of the Peloponnese (Southern Greece)
by Alexandra Tragaki, Christina Gallousi and Efthimios Karymbalis
Land 2018, 7(2), 56; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/land7020056 - 01 May 2018
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 6860
Abstract
Today low-lying coastal areas around the world are threatened by climate change-related hazards. The identification of highly vulnerable coastal areas is of great importance for the development of coastal management plans. The purpose of this study is to assess the physical and social [...] Read more.
Today low-lying coastal areas around the world are threatened by climate change-related hazards. The identification of highly vulnerable coastal areas is of great importance for the development of coastal management plans. The purpose of this study is to assess the physical and social vulnerability of the Peloponnese (Greece) to coastal hazards. Two indices were estimated: The Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). CVI allows six physical variablesto be related in a quantitative manner whilethe proposed SVI in this studycontains mainly demographic variables and was calculated for 73 coastal municipal communities. The results reveal that 17.2% of the shoreline (254.8 km) along the western and northwestern coast of the Peloponnese, as well as at the inner Messiniakos and Lakonikos Gulfs, is of high and very high physical vulnerability. High and very high social vulnerabilities characterize communities along the northwestern part of the study area, along the coasts of the Messinian and Cape Malea peninsulas, as well as at the western coast of Saronikos Gulf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards)
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