Plan and design public open spaces incorporating disaster management strategies with sustainable development strategies: a literature synthesis

R.R.J.C Jayakody,Richard Haigh,Dilanthi Amaratunga,R. Haigh,L. Comfort,F.A. Ismail,A. Hakam

doi:10.1051/matecconf/201822904001

Abstract

The current focus of planning and designing public open spaces has been mostly given on creating sustainable cities contributing to its’ three pillars; economic, social and environmental. However, the negative implications of rapid urbanization and the implication of climate change have increased disaster risk in cities mounting more pressure on the path of sustainable development. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate the enhancements of disaster resilience with the sustainable development strategies. Yet, the integration of disaster management strategies with planning and designing public open spaces remains unrehearsed within the urban planning context. Accordingly, this ongoing research study emphasizes the need for incorporating disaster management strategies with sustainable development strategies when planning and designing public open spaces in cities. This paper first analyses the disaster management literature, providing evidence of the potential use of public open spaces as an agent of recovery, to provide essential life support, as a primary place to rescue and for shelters and potential for adaptive response. Secondly, the paper cross-analyses planning and designing literature with disaster management literature to find out the methods and approaches that can be used to harness the identified potentials. Finally, the paper suggests a set of strategies to plan and design public open incorporating disaster management strategies with sustainable development strategies.

Highlights

Planning and designing cities towards the sustainability is a challenging task due to long experiencing environmental, social and economic problems such as poverty, crime, poor sanitation, poor housing, air, water, and noise pollution, etc
Planning public open spaces as a strategy for emergency response and recovery aligned with everyday life of the city
This paper has provided an overview to expand the current focus of planning and designing public open spaces towards enhancing disaster resilience in cities

Summary

Introduction

Planning and designing cities towards the sustainability is a challenging task due to long experiencing environmental, social and economic problems such as poverty, crime, poor sanitation, poor housing, air, water, and noise pollution, etc. The rapid urbanization causes the concentration of these type of issues in cities at the alarming rate. All these negative implications of rapid urbanization increase the disaster risk in cities by pushing more pressure on land and services resulting inadequate resource management, settlements in hazard-prone areas, lack of capacities, unclear mandated for DRR at the local level and decline of ecosystems and so on [1]. Apart from that, the implications of climate change further increase the risk of natural disasters in cities with an increase in weatherrelated disasters [2] and accelerated global sea-level riserelated coastal hazards [3]. It is inevitably important to incorporate the enhancement of disaster resilience into cities' sustainable development

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion