Inclusive urban development to reduce biological hazards and disaster risks: a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal
This brief summarizes findings of a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal, that examined ways to undertake inclusive urban development to reduce biological hazards and disaster risks. The pandemic experience reinforced the need for planning to focus on biological hazards – those that arise from disease-producing organisms – alongside planning to reduce disaster risks from meteorological, hydrological and geological hazards.
The brief makes five overarching recommendations that apply at the national and local levels:
- Increase policy coherence. Policy coherence and institutional coordination between urban planning, public health, risk governance, and economic development should be strengthened, particularly at the local-government level where policy implementation occurs.
- Address different impacts that hazards have on different groups. Policymakers must pay attention to the differentiated impact of hazards on different groups. Though the FIRE approach provides a practical tool for operationalizing these concepts into policy, context-specific analysis is needed to understand forces of marginalization and their impacts. Failing to do so might actually further exacerbate the negative effects for some groups, and create even more dominant majorities.
- Boost capacity development and resources for local governments. In Nepal, both the federal system and the increased autonomy of local authorities present an opportunity for local government to address differentiated risks and vulnerabilities. Capacity development and resource allocation among relevant, local-level departments and sectors will be required to leverage this opportunity to greatest effect; such investments are needed to ensure common understanding of the transformation from risk-blind development to risk-informed development and of integrating rights and equality.
- Customize policies to address areas impacted by urban growth. In Bharatpur and other fast-growing cities in the Global South, rapid urbanization will likely mean that peri-urban and rural areas will in effect become part of the greater metropolitan area. Accordingly, local authorities need to customize disaster risk reduction, urban land-use planning and development, and public-health measures to address context-specific challenges.
- Bring marginalized communities into decision-making processes. Community engagement platforms must ensure meaningful participation that reaches marginalized communities. Participatory approaches should be tailor-made to ensure that voices of diverse groups from the different areas in the city are heard, and that decisions are made giving due consideration to the communities’ contributions.