Preparing for Disasters in Global Cities: An International Comparison

This research report aims to illustrate current trends in research and practice concerning the manage - 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 - burg and Singapore were willing to detail how risk assessments are conducted in their cities, how coun - termeasures are organized and in what ways they collaborate with other actors. Moreover, interview - 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 - 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 - pletely, social resilience becomes a major concern in urban disaster management. As a consequence, flexible strategies to cope with unpredicted disas - ters are gaining ground in many cities. In this con - 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 - agement officials. Moreover, cities are exploring the opportunities presented by new disaster communi - 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.