Bhutan urban policy notes: Urban resilience
This paper is part of a series of four urban policy notes that identify emergent challenges to Bhutan’s increasing urbanization and its ramifications for growth, livability, and sustainability in line with the directives of the 12th Five-Year Plan for 2018–23 and the Vision 2020. These notes build on the long engagement between the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) and the World Bank on urban issues as well as the operations under the Bhutan Urban Development Project I (1999–2006) and II (2010–19).
This note specifically draws from the ongoing support to build a safe, sustainable, and climate-resilient Bhutan through the Hydromet Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project, the preparation of Bhutan’s Strategic Program for Climate Resilience Project, the Improving Seismic Resilience Project, and related technical assistance. It is intended to support the RGoB on key and emerging topics relevant in the context of increasing urbanization and vulnerability to weather, water, and climate hazards, and to guide the Bank’s future analytical and investment support on urban- and resilience-related challenges.