Log in

Create a user profile using your existing professional profile on LinkedIn, Academia, or ResearchGate.


Alternatively, register a username and password to start an account.


By creating an account you will be able to contribute articles, engage in discussion groups, network with fellow professionals and businesses, and receive interest-related alerts.

Forgot Password

Please enter your email address below and you will receive a temporary link to re-activate your account

Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa

Challenges and champions

It is highly likely that hazards and extreme climatic events will occur more frequently in the future and will become more severe – increasing the vulnerability and risk of millions of poor urbanites in developing countries. Disaster resilience aims to reduce disaster losses by equipping cities to withstand, absorb, adapt to or recover from external shocks. This paper questions whether disaster resilience is likely to be taken up in spatial planning practices in South Africa, given its immediate developmental priorities and challenges. In South Africa, issues of development take precedence over issues of sustainability, environmental management and disaster reduction. This is illustrated by the priority given to ‘servicing’ settlements compared to the opportunities offered by ‘transforming’ spaces through postapartheid spatial planning.

 

The City of Durban’s quest in adapting to climate change demonstrates hypothetically that if disaster resilience were to be presented as an issue distinct from what urban planners are already doing, then planners would see it as insignificant as compared to addressing the many developmental backlogs and challenges. If, however, it is regarded as a means to secure a city’s development path whilst simultaneously addressing sustainability, then disaster resilience is more likely to be translated into spatial planning practices in South Africa.

 

Downloads

Website References

Climate Change/Resilience

Climate change

Climatic zones

Development

Disasters

Durban

Human settlements

Natural environment

South Africa

Spatial analysis

Spatial aspects

Spatial planning

Spatial transformation

Urban development

Comments

No comments available
LOAD MORE