Natural disasters and related risks in urban centres undermine governments and partners effort to end poverty and to achieve sustainable development goals. Every year, disasters cause the loss of a number of lives and considerable damage to properties, which severely sets back the development process of countries and cities. The intensity of natural disasters has escalated throughout different regions in recent years.

The urban centres are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, global warming and other natural hazards, including earthquakes, extreme weather events, flooding, storms, water scarcity, urban droughts and sea level rise, among others. The underlying risk factors, including poverty, inadequate livelihoods opportunities, poor land use planning, inequality, socio-economic disparity, unplanned and rapid urbanization, inter alia, further contribute to increase in disaster and climate risk. Finally, urban centres dependency on complex and interconnected systems of infrastructure, services, communications and social interactions, make them more susceptible to the impacts of disasters and climate change. Therefore, investing in urban resilience is thus key to sustainable development and poverty reduction.

In post 2015 agreements, the literature review and the consultative process uncovered key areas for governments and relevant stakeholders to develop their capacity in creating, maintaining, and strengthening urban resilience. The key action areas include risk informed land use planning, urban disaster risk assessment, early warning system and climate risk modelling solutions for urban disaster preparedness, mainstreaming DRR into land use planning, and development and implementation of disaster risk-informed development plans.

This course is designed to raise knowledge of participants on effective solutions and approaches for creating, maintaining and strengthening urban resilience.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the challenges and opportunities of disaster risk in urban context and needs for urban resilience
• Explain the concept of urban/land use planning and ‘how to’ use and apply urban/land use planning for effective disaster risk reduction
• Define key elements of urban disaster risk assessment, including urban disaster risk reduction, and ‘how to’ mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into urban planning strategies and programs
• Describe early warning system and climate risk modeling solutions for urban disaster preparedness
• Identify and explain the incentives and indicators for risk sensitive land use planning and best practices on flood management plans

In order to achieve the objectives, the course will have the following modules:

Module 1: Understanding Disaster Risk in an Urban Context

This module offers to raise participants knowledge and understanding about the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) terminologies and concepts in urban context, global and regional framework on risk informed sustainable development (i.e., Sendai Framework for DRR, Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and New Urban Agenda). It also discusses the urbanization trends in Asia-Pacific region and countries experience of challenges and gaps in urban planning for DRR.

Module 2: Disaster Risk Reduction and Urban Planning/Land Use Planning

The modules develop and raise participants knowledge understanding on the concept of urban system, importance of urban planning in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) from technical and spatial view, role of stakeholders in urban risk reduction and governance, concept of land use planning, land use planning and DRR, and good practices and lesson learned on effective risk informed land use planning. It discusses land use planning practices in different sub-regions of the Asia-Pacific. Finally, case studies will be discussed and shared on sustainable urban and environmental design and urban climatic application in urban planning.

Module 3: Urban Disaster Risk Reduction

This module offers to raise participants knowledge and understanding on the impact of natural hazards on urban land use, urban disaster risk assessment, urban risk reduction and management,
risk reduction through land use planning, early warning system and climate risk modelling solutions for urban disaster preparedness, and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into land use planning. The module also raises understanding of participants on the development of risk-informed development plan. Finally, example and case studies will be discussed and shared for enhancing the practical understanding on the urban disaster risk reduction.

Module 4: Application of Risk Reduction Information for Urban Planning

This module develops and raise participants knowledge and understanding on the Incentives and indicators for risk sensitive land use planning, and international best practices on implementing flood management plan. A half-day field visit will be organized to reinforce and enrich the knowledge and experience of the participants on DRR and risk-sensitive urban planning.

Various trainee-centered methodologies shall be employed:

• Participatory lectures and discussions
• Presentations
• Role-plays
• Simulation exercise
• Group exercises
• Field visit

The course shall be conducted in English

This course is designed for government officials and professionals working in disaster risk management, climate change adaptation and urban planning.

Interested individuals and organizations can register online at www.adpc.net/apply.

For more information about the course, you may also contact Thanyaphat Sirasakpureekul at thanyaphat@adpc.net and telephone numbers +66 22980681 to 92 loc. 134.

Due to limited slots for this course, interested parties must register on or before September 20, 2019 while payment must be made by September 30, 2019.

Investment for the course is USD1,675. This is inclusive of cost of instruction; morning and afternoon snacks and training kits which include e-tablets that the participants can keep after the course. Special discount rates and packages may apply:

• 10% discount for women participants
• 10% discount for self-paying participants (overandabovethe10% discount for women)
• 10% discount for each participant sent by an organization (minimum of three participants)

If you are selected to attend the course, the payment should be transferred to ADPC's account through a bank transfer at least one month before course commence. Otherwise, your participation will be cancelled. Please note that personal checks are not accepted as a form of payment.

If you are unable to attend, a substitute applicant is welcome to attend in your place, provided the participation criteria described above have been met.

Cancellation of attendance should be notified at least three weeks prior to course commencement; in which case, 15 percent of the course fee will be deducted for banking charges and administrative costs. No refunds are available for cancellation within three weeks prior to course commencement.