Resource information
Risk-sensitive land use planning is
vital for sustainable economic development and effective
Disaster Risk Management (DRM). Urban development programs
should adopt risk-sensitive land use planning to encourage
resilient development guiding the growth of people, assets
and services within and away from hazardous zones. Many East
Asia and the Pacific (EAP) countries have national land use
policy and local plans which incorporate risk assessments;
however, they typically lack the means for their
implementation and incorporation into development planning.
This note introduces the potential of Land Readjustment (LR)
and Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for DRM as seen in
their application in Brazil, India, Japan, and the US. The
note recommends that if municipalities build capacity for
strategic land management, LR and TDR can be used
effectively to finance and implement risk-sensitive land use
plans. LR offers to accommodate and plan for risks with
minimal displacement while TDR promises to equitably
relocate development away from hazardous sites through the
real estate market.
