A Global Urban Risk Index

Which cities have the highest risk of human and economic losses due to natural hazards? And how will urban exposure to major hazards change over the coming decades? This paper develops a global urban disaster risk index that evaluates the mortality and economic risks from disasters in 1,943 cities in developing countries. Concentrations of population, infrastructure, and economic activities in cities contribute to increased exposure and susceptibility to natural hazards. The three components of this risk measure are urban hazard characteristics, exposure, and vulnerability. For earthquakes, cyclones, floods, and landslides, single hazard risk indices are developed. In addition, a multi-hazard index gives a holistic picture of current city risk. Demographic-economic projection of city population growth to 2050 suggests that exposure to earthquake and cyclone risk in developing country cities will more than double from today's levels. Global urban risk analysis, as presented in this paper, can inform the prioritization of resources for disaster risk management and urban planning and promote the shift toward managing risks rather than emergencies.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Brecht, Henrike, Deichmann, Uwe, Wang, Hyoung Gun
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013-06
Subjects:	APPLICATIONS, BUILDING CODES, CATASTROPHIC EVENTS, CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGY, CITIZENS, CITY POPULATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, CONTINGENCY PLANNING, COVERAGE, CRED, DAMAGES, DEATH TOLLS, DECLARATION, DEVASTATION, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, DISASTER EVENTS, DISASTER MANAGEMENT, DISASTER PREVENTION, DISASTER REDUCTION, DISASTER RELIEF, DISASTER RESEARCH, DISASTER RISK, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, DISASTER TYPES, DISASTERS, DISASTERS BY DESIGN, EARLY WARNING, EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS, EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKES, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC RISK, ECONOMIC RISKS, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EMERGENCIES, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, EMERGENCY-RESPONSE, ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, EXTREME EVENTS, FATALITIES, FATALITY, FERTILITY, FINANCIAL RISK, FLOOD, FLOOD MANAGEMENT, FLOODING, FLOODS, FUTURE GROWTH, FUTURE POPULATION, GLOBAL POPULATION, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HOSPITAL, HOSPITAL BEDS, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY, HURRICANE, INFLATION, INSURANCE COMPANIES, INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE, INTERNATIONAL POPULATION, LAM, LANDSLIDE, LANDSLIDES, LARGE CITIES, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION, MORTALITY, MORTALITY RATE, MORTALITY RISK, NATIONAL LEVEL, NATURAL CATASTROPHES, NATURAL DISASTER, NATURAL DISASTERS, NATURAL HAZARD, NATURAL HAZARDS, NUMBER OF DEATHS, NUMBER OF PEOPLE, NUMBER OF PERSONS, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL POWER, POPULATION DATA, POPULATION DENSITY, POPULATION DIVISION, POPULATION ESTIMATES, POPULATION GROWTH, POPULATION GROWTH RATE, POPULATION GROWTH RATES, POPULATION MOVEMENTS, POPULATION PRESSURE, POPULATION PROJECTIONS, POPULATION SIZE, PROGRAMS, PROGRESS, PROTECTION MECHANISMS, PUBLIC POLICY, RECONSTRUCTION, REINSURANCE, RISK ANALYSIS, RISK ASSESSMENT, RISK ASSESSMENTS, RISK EXPOSURE, RISK MANAGEMENT, RISK TRANSFER, RURAL AREAS, RURAL POPULATION, SEA LEVEL, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SOCIAL CHANGE, SOCIAL INEQUALITIES, SOCIAL VULNERABILITY, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, STORM, STORMS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, TROPICAL CYCLONES, TYPE OF DISASTER, UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION, URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS, URBAN AREAS, URBAN DEVELOPMENT, URBAN DWELLERS, URBAN POPULATION, URBAN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, URBANIZATION, VULNERABILITY, WIND SPEED, WORLD CONFERENCE, WORLD POPULATION, urban risk,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/06/17920427/global-urban-risk-index https://hdl.handle.net/10986/15865
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