Adopting a governance lens to address urban risks in the Uttarakhand Himalayas: The case of Almora, India

The Indian Himalayan State of Uttarakhand is experiencing population growth and undergoing the process of urbanization. This is happening in a region predisposed to multiple natural hazards and exposed to climate change extremes. The urban development process unfolding under these circumstances is largely unplanned and unregulated and has overwhelmed the municipal capacity to address it.

Existing research has largely adopted a hazard-based approach towards addressing the issue, recommending stricter developmental codes and infrastructure-based solutions to the problem. This paper approaches the issue from a governance perspective and explores options to complement existing capacity for municipal risk governance. It does so by examining the process of urban development and the actors involved in addressing risk.

The paper concludes that while risk governance presents a viable alternative towards addressing the problem of risk in a resource stressed environment, it needs to be contextualized to consolidate informal building professional and acknowledge their risk knowledge and practices.