The 10 Essentials for Making Cities Resilient Checklist

Lismore MP and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin shares a United Nations handbook's tips on how to make our cities more resilient. Food for thought.

Source: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2017 ‘How To Make Cities More Resilient. A Handbook for Local Government Leaders’ P.32.

  • Put in place an organisational structure with strong leadership and clarity of coordination and responsibilities. Establish Disaster Risk Reduction as a key consideration through the City Vision or Strategic Plan.
  • Maintain up-to-date data on hazards and vulnerabilities. Prepare risk assessments based on participatory processes and use these as the basis for urban development of the city and its long-term goals.
  • Prepare a financial plan by understanding and assessing the significant economic impacts of disasters. Identify and develop financial mechanisms to support resilience activities.
  • Carry out risk-informed urban planning and development based on up-to-date risk assessments with particular focus on vulnerable populations. Apply and enforce realistic, risk compliant building regulations.
  • Identify, protect and monitor natural ecosystems within and outside the city geography and enhance their use for risk reduction.
  • Understand institutional capacity for risk reduction including those of governmental organisations; private sector; academia, professional and civil society organisations, to help detect and strengthen gaps in resilience capacity.
  • Identify and strengthen social connectedness and culture of mutual help through community and government initiatives and multimedia channels of communication.
  • Develop a strategy for the protection, and update the maintenance of critical infrastructure. Develop risk mitigating infrastructure where needed.
  • Create and regularly update preparedness plans, connect with early warning systems and increase emergency and management capacities.
  • Establish post-disaster recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction strategies that are aligned with long-term planning and providing an improved city environment.