Cities need to assess their risks, act accordingly

Nations have to reevaluate disaster risks, direct impacts, and spill-over consequences on people, infrastructure, economy, and services. At the local level, cities have to understand their vulnerabilities and blind-spots specific to a particular kind of disaster for building local capacity and acquire required tools, resources, and framework.

OVID-19 is a reminder for cities to relook at their disaster resilience. The impact of the Pandemic was widespread, cutting across several sectors and communities. Urban habitats are vulnerable to climate change impacts, natural disasters, and health crises such as COVID-19, which could result in a long-term spiralling effect on the socio-economic fabric of a city. The Pandemic has exposed problems in overstretched urban health systems, non-resilient urban economies, and inequitable access to civic services. The latest Global Risks Report 2021 highlights infectious diseases rank highest among the top hazards of the next decade, followed by climate action failure and other environmental threats, as well as weapons of mass destruction, livelihood crises, debt crises, and IT infrastructure breakdowns.
Nations are gradually recovering from the impacts of the Pandemic. However, some areas are still struggling to cope with the fallouts. Local governments need to understand the risk areas and address them accordingly by building their capacities and direct their investment in areas that need immediate attention. The mitigation strategies and post-disaster recovery have to be tailor-made and sector-specific, addressing immediate and long-term requirements. In response to the Pandemic, governments and public institutions have demonstrated the value of engaging the private sector to address large-scale challenges-provided that risks and rewards are shared fairly and appropriate governance is in place. The role of the private sector, including skilled individuals, in finding the solution to urban challenges, especially in developing the resilience of cities, is quite essential. It becomes crucial in situations such as the Pandemic.

Informality and disasters

A majority of successful cities around the world house a high percentage of migrants. Data suggests 20% of all migrants live in just twenty cities, and many still have strong ties to rural areas. And, these groups of people live in informal settlements and depend on informal economic activities. Thus, they are deprived of social safety nets, public services like health and education, and even clean water and basic sanitation. They had a lower level of resilience because of differences in financial stability, access to healthcare, education, and technology. Due to existing social and economic inequalities in cities, COVID-19 caused far more damage to people from lower-income groups and people living in informal settlements. It was starkly visible during the time of the health crisis in cities. The lack of data with local governments further exacerbated the situation.
Moving forward, cities have to keep in mind that people living in informal settlements and slums should be crucial in the urban resilience strategy. When cities face challenges during a disaster, it puts a strain on their coffers and pushes back their objective of developing inclusive and sustainable urban habitations. Policymakers in various cities have made the economic resilience of local governments a central theme of local development. To address the issue of the poor, cities have to find ways to make sure that their efforts in the direction of making urban services inclusive are not affected; else, the efforts of years can go down the drain.

Digital threats

Almost every city moved online for an assortment of business and governance activities during the Pandemic. COVID-19 expanded the use of e-commerce, e-governance, online education, digital health, and remote work. However, it also highlighted the need to bring digital inclusivity in our planning. From booking tests to tracing and vaccination, a host of health services went online. However, many people having no access to digital devices and internet access were left out. It is a new domain where disparity may be exacerbated, and cities must make extra efforts to see that their processes are inclusive. The digital gap is quite huge in various countries worldwide.
As low as 12 per cent of people have access to the internet in countries like Bangladesh. Cities will have to address these issues if the digital services are being expanded, and they cannot afford to ignore a large population from such services. However, the expansion of online information through dedicated websites and social media is a double-edged sword. Infodemic and spread of misinformation is another disaster that is staring us in the face. Cities will have to build comprehensive communication policies for interacting with their citizens, especially during a disaster, so that rumours and misinformation do not derail the local governments’ efforts. Local governments have always been central to addressing crucial issues of development and economy. And, if they want to remain on the right path of growth, they cannot afford to ignore the impending risks of various kinds of disasters. Therefore, it is natural that cities that anticipate and adapt to the coming trends in resilience and mitigation will propel growth, innovation, and sustainable development in the time to come.
The collection of data for risk mapping and socio-economic profiling of cities will be instrumental in this regard. It will require the role of existing development agencies along with experts for building an analytical framework. The agenda of building an analytical framework has to be embedded in the development plans. It also needs to be robust yet flexible to include the effects of changing urban environment, new threats, and forward-looking scenarios. This mechanism will help identify and compare trade-offs required by different mitigation proposals and examine responsive capabilities against emerging crises.
When economies are reviving, greener manufacturing and consumption can be embraced to build a strong foundation for resilient communities. Local initiatives at the city level will also help the national government transform their economy by combining green and inclusive measures with short-term solutions to bridge gaps in health, education, employment prospects, and social safety nets. Strong and resilient urban habitation can enable opportunities for everyone in the long term.

It is for sure that cities that anticipate and adapt to the coming trends in resilience and mitigation will propel growth, innovation, and sustainable development in the time to come