Livable Pacific cities and towns: Spotlight: Mapping risk, building resilience: Exposure analysis of Pacific urban areas

As a complementary technical report to Livable Pacific Cities and Towns: Urbanization Strategies for Resilience, Sustainability, and Inclusion, this Spotlight details the results from risk modeling and scientific analyses designed by World Bank staff to identify the exposure at risk (EaR) from critical natural hazards in 38 urban areas in 10 Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

Cities and towns in the Pacific region face significant risks from natural hazards. These risks are projected to increase with climate change and increasing urbanization, yet they are not well understood. The key findings are summarized in Box 4 of the Livable Pacific Cities and Towns main report. These results can support more technical decision-makers and practitioners by informing urban planning and risk reduction interventions, guiding disaster risk financing, shaping adaptive social protection measures, and providing a baseline for future assessments and analyses.