Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Urban Planning - Mumbai’s Disaster Management Plan In A Global Context

The risk of disasters in urban areas due to natural hazards is increasing in frequency and intensity worldwide, and it is now widely recognized that extreme weather events that will become a regular part of life in the future. The United Nations and other international agencies have developed several extensive frameworks to understand and reduce disaster risk. Disaster Risk Reduction remains however, largely the prerogative of national governments, even though the effects of disaster are felt at an urban scale. In order to promote solutions must come from cities themselves, international frameworks must be integrated into urban planning policies and practice. This thesis is a study of Disaster Risk Reduction as it is practiced in Mumbai, India; and examines the extent to which it is ‘mainstreamed’ into urban planning.