Preparing for Disasters in Global Cities: An International Comparison

This research report aims to illustrate current trends
in research and practice concerning the manage
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ment of disasters in cities around the world. In the
first part of the study, we discuss conceptual trends
in disaster research and related disciplines, based on
a desktop analysis. Thereafter, in the empirical part of
the study, we examine how the practices of disaster
management are organized in different cities. For the
empirical analysis, semi-structured interviews with
city disaster management officials from eight global
cities were conducted. City officials from Los Angeles,
London, Sydney, Rotterdam, Vienna, Frankfurt, Ham
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burg and Singapore were willing to detail how risk
assessments are conducted in their cities, how coun
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termeasures are organized and in what ways they
collaborate with other actors. Moreover, interview
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ees gave revealing insights into what changes have
taken place in disaster management in recent years,
including where they see the top priorities for safe
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guarding urban security in the future.
The research highlighted several notable trends.
Above all, modern disaster planning is increasingly
characterized by the need to adapt to uncertainty
and unpredictability. As it is generally acknowledged
that complex crises can never be prevented com
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pletely, social resilience becomes a major concern
in urban disaster management. As a consequence,
flexible strategies to cope with unpredicted disas
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ters are gaining ground in many cities. In this con
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text, government actors are taking on new roles in
the planning and management of disasters in cities.
Coordinating the myriad of actors involved in urban
security becomes a key task for city disaster man
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agement officials. Moreover, cities are exploring the
opportunities presented by new disaster communi
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cation technologies, and are specifically developing
ways to target disaster preparedness information
at vulnerable sub-populations within their cities.
Finally, in order to address risk from complex crises,
disaster management agencies and institutions are
increasingly thinking beyond traditional jurisdictions
or borders. At the same time our findings show that
urban security practice, risk management processes
and policies typically reflect the geographical, politi
-
cal and social contexts of each city, as well as the past
experiences of the cities’ risk management agencies.
Based on these trends, we discuss implications for
disaster management in Swiss cities.