Author(s)

L. Melkunaite, F. Guay

Abstract

It is the first time in history that more people are living in cities than in rural areas. As urban space has become the central aspect of modern societies creating new types of vulnerabilities, resilience has emerged as a key priority for urban planners as well as civil protection officers aiming to build smart and more disaster resilient cities. There is a large set of urban planning practices, such as hazard mapping and building permits, aiming at increasing urban disaster resilience. However, there is still a lack of endeavour to research how these urban planning processes are being incorporated into national civil protection systems. Therefore, this paper aims to bridge the gap and analyses the relationship between urban planning and civil protection in conceptualizing resilient space planning processes. In this paper, using a case study approach, we examine if and how, the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) integrates urban planning and civil protection in Denmark in order to build more resilient cities. To do this, we draw upon the knowledge of those working within the urban planning and civil protection systems to identify the opportunities and obstacles for the existence of their cooperation. Copenhagen, ranked the world’s most climate resilient city, was selected for the urban planning case analysis, as well as Vejle, being part of the “100 Resilient Cities” network. The results indicate that although both DEMA and urban planners aim to build disaster resilient cities and wish to contribute to creating a more resilient society, the dialogue between the two bodies is almost non-existent with regards to resilient urban space planning processes.

Keywords

resilience, urban resilience, civil protection, urban planning