Land use planning for disaster resilient communities

Land-use planning that considers natural hazard risk is the single most important mitigation measure in minimising the increase in future disaster losses in areas of new development. The Land Use Planning for Disaster Resilient Communities handbook focuses on land use planning for new development and its role in supporting disaster-resilient communities. It outlines nationally agreed on principles for good practice in land use planning to build disaster-resilient communities.

The handbook introduces community wellbeing and disaster resilience as the overarching aim of land use planning and disaster risk reduction and outlines nationally agreed on principles for land use planning for disaster resilient communities. The aim and principles provide the context for good practice in general as well as across the document. The handbook also presents a procedural framework for land use planning for disaster resilient communities. The framework can be applied across the decision-making process at the different levels of land use planning.

It is intended to guide and assist a range of stakeholders including:

• Natural hazard and emergency managers - to build capacity in and understanding of the impact of natural hazard risks in land use planning;
• Land-use planners, build environment professionals and developers - to build awareness of and capacity in engaging with natural hazard and emergency managers and to integrate natural hazard risk assessment into the planning process;
• Community members and leaders - to provide an understanding of the reasons for and main mechanisms of risk management in land use planning in their communities and the interdependencies between diverse actors' decisions as these related to natural hazard risks.