Urban Risk Assessments: An Approach for Understanding Disaster and Climate Risks in Cities

This paper proposes a framework for carrying out urban risk assessment, and seeks to= strengthen coherence and consensus in how cities can plan for natural disasters and climate change. The Urban Risk Assessment (URA) was developed by drawing on lessons from existing efforts to assess risk in cities as well as urban planning literature. It was vetted through a consultative and collaborative process that included international development agencies, the public and private sectors and non-government organizations. It seeks to minimize duplicative efforts, and to bring convergence to related work undertaken by the World Bank and other key partner organizations. The target audience for this report includes: (i) decision makers such as city managers, mayors, and those involved in developing national and local policies related to urban development, (ii) urban practitioners and technical staff at the municipal, regional, and national levels, and (iii) international organizations.