Don Geis

On creating sustainable and disaster-resistant communities

How can we most effectively keep hazards from becoming disasters? To make progress toward this goal, we must begin to see disaster mitigation as part of a much bigger picture, something broader and more integral to the way we think and do things in this society. The best way to start this process is to begin thinking of natural hazard mitigation as the foundation and first important step in the context of planning and developing sustainable communities.

Natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes are very much part of the natural functioning of the Earth and are not problems in and of themselves. They become very serious problems however when they impact our human settlements. It is here, at this point of interface, that our concern begins. Still, even at this point, a natural hazard doesn't have to become a disaster. It is fair to say that many natural disasters are not really natural, but rather human-made disasters, less the result of an extreme natural event than of the inappropriate settlement patterns and poorly planned communities humans have built where these natural forces converge.

Almost all property damage, loss of life, and socioeconomic disruption associated with natural disasters occurs as a result of the built environment, or rather of the failure of the built environment to resist the physical forces of natural hazards and to provide the functional and social support framework necessary for recovery. A variation on the old adage goes that earthquakes don't kill people, buildings kill people ... as do collapsed freeways, ruptured gas lines, and other inadequate development and infrastructure. It is at the local level that this problem is most effectively solved. This can be achieved through planning and development decisions that are integral to the process of mitigating natural disasters and creating disaster resistant communities.

A sustainable community is one that uses its resources to meet current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are available for future generations. It seeks improved public safety and generally, a better quality of life for all its residents by limiting waste, preventing pollution, maximizing conservation and promoting efficiency, striving for social-cultural viability and developing local resources to enhance the local economy. This approach calls for local governments to respect and learn from ecological and geological systems and develop a community built environment that compliments these systems rather than interferes with them.

A sustainable community is a disaster resistant community. Sustainable communities and disaster resistant communities are natural partners; both must be concerned with the workings of nature, the relationship between the built and natural environment, and the associated social and economic implications.

Return to Text // Aspen Global Change Institute Homepage // Elements of Change 1996 Table of Contents // Comments & Questions: agcimail@agci.org