Strategy Asia 2020 

Planning and Building Safer Cities: A Comprehensive Approach

As most Asian countries now prioritize good governance and decentralization, local governments are expected to handle a range of issues from risk assessment, development of building standards, enforcement of building codes, retrofitting of weak existing structures, regulation and taxation of land and property markets, to infrastructure financing, construction and management.

Strategy: To develop a comprehensive decision-making support system for planning and building safer cities through:

• Building capacity to incorporate risk-based mitigation planning as part of urban development
• Surveying the vulnerability of shelters and infrastructure
• Researching building code practices and reasons for non-compliance
• Developing and disseminating simple, user-friendly, non-engineered construction guidelines in disaster-prone areas for use by the community and construction artisans
• Creating grassroots technology-transfer mechanisms
• Implementing a micro-finance system to strengthen shelters and infrastructure as well as promote community-based projects
• Transferring risks

Target: Strategy Asia 2020 will develop a comprehensive program to plan and build safer environments in 100 identified cities in Asia.