By now an estimated 50% of the population of developing countries is living in cities and eight out of ten largest cities of the World is in developing countries. Over three quarters of those cities are exposed to at least one natural hazard. Yet, cities are ill-prepared to effectively respond to such events, and the collective effort to reduce risk from disasters continues to be meager compared to the constant increase in risk caused by urbanization and aging infrastructure.

This specialization course provides an overview of disaster risk management sound practice for local government policymakers, urban managers, planners, and disaster management professionals. It discusses the inter-linkages of the social and physical parameters of vulnerability of cities with their local government development, organization, and management. It explains the impediments to disaster risk reduction in urban environments and then presents the key concepts of disaster risk management and the role and intervention of local institutions. It emphasizes that disaster risk reduction only takes place when it is inherently integrated within local government functions.