Disaster management and climate adaptation roadmap for coastal cities based on UNDRR's ten essentials

This paper endeavours to establish a roadmap for disaster risk management (DRM) planning for coastal cities based on the UNDRR Ten Essentials (UNDRR, 2012). Disasters and natural hazards increasingly affect people in the most vulnerable communities in coastal cities, and low-lying areas are especially exposed in the context of increased urbanization, where the urban risk continues to rise.

It reports on local DRM practices in the city of Praia, in Cabo Verde. DRM in coastal cities in island states turns out to be an intricate process due to the incorporation of socio-environmental anthropogenic exposure to physical, economic, population, political, and climate vulnerabilities. The paper contributes to the growing knowledge of the institutional framework's role in the facilitation of local adaptation, and design-thinking of urban-development planning processes in coastal cities and low-lying areas, by distinguishing arising opportunities for planned DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA) in small island developing states (SIDS) and describing a roadmap intended at further advances the discussions for the progress of risk-informed sustainable development pathways in the context of coastal cities.