Accessibility in disaster-resilient cities

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, disasters are the unexpected consequences of occurrences that cause a level of suffering that exceeds the capacity of adjustment of the affected community. Available records indicate that natural, technological and man-made disasters -by causing loss of lives and property- affected more than 4 billion people worldwide in the last 20 years. People with disabilities are among those who are highly fragile and physically vulnerable to the dangers and risks posed by disasters. The actual reason behind why people with disabilities are rather vulnerable to the adverse effects of natural and man-made disasters is the fact that they have no access to social, spatial and civil resources. According to the United Nations Inclusive Disaster Risk Management Report, in the event of disasters and emergencies, individuals with disabilities are affected disproportionately due to the inaccessibility of the evacuation, response, and rescue efforts. The 7th Millennium Development Goal (1990-2015) emphasizes that improvements in humans’ lives and in the environment are critical to ensure environmental sustainability, and it highlights the need to ‘build a disaster-resilient community.’ Resilience to urban disasters shows a community’s ability to adapt to natural and man-made disasters and hazards, to keep any potential threats away, and to evaluate the consequences and modify existing conditions. This study focuses on accessibility in disaster-resilient cities, and it aims to evaluate the components of urban resilience, which helps to eliminate the damages of disasters and to recover, with a particular focus on the accessibility of individuals with disabilities. Based on the available literature, the study evaluates the outcomes of a workshop that was conducted with 40 participants in August-September 2021 as one of the events in preparation for MARUF21. The participants were local officials who are in charge of and accountable for disaster and emergency management, and individuals who are vulnerable to disasters and emergencies. The findings and results of the study are presented under four headings: (i) Accessibility of Urban Spaces in Disaster and Emergency Management, (ii) Risk Management and Accessibility in Cultural Heritage Areas, (iii) Social Policies and Accessibility in Disaster and Emergency Management, and (iv) Accessibility to Communication, Technology and Innovations. The study highlights that accessibility in disaster and emergency management extends beyond spatial organization, and it is a prerequisite for social harmony and disaster resilience.