Disaster reduction in urban areas
A contribution to the preparations for the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II):
This document emphasizes the importance of urbanization for the level of risk of natural disasters and other phenomena, and highlights the need to address disaster management issues in the context of urban development planning. It analyses disaster reduction as a multi-sectoral issue in urban development and notes that the main issues that should be considered include housing, infrastructure, urban poverty, land use and urban management.
The document also outlines the strategies and approaches of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR, 1990-2000), and gives a brief overview of its institutional arrangements and programmes.
