Flooding is one of the most devastating natural hazards in the world. Available records suggest that both flood frequency and severity are on the rise and this is likely to worsen in the context of climate change. As population, infrastructure and poverty grow rapidly in developing countries, particularly in urban agglomerations of 10 million people or more, floods could cause widespread devastation, economic damage and loss of life. Assessment of vulnerability and risk from naturally occurring phenomena is therefore imperative in order to achieve urban sustainability. This book uses geospatial techniques to evaluate hazards, risk and vulnerability at a metropolitan scale in a data-scarce country. An empirical study was performed using remote sensing, GIS and census data. This research offers a new approach to mapping population, infrastructures and communities at risk which can greatly contribute to the deeper understanding of flood disasters in a rapidly expanding megacity. Examples shown in this book are from Dhaka Megacity, however, the techniques and methods can easily be implemented in medium to large cities of similar characteristics. The book is essential reading for hazard researchers, geospatial scientists, disaster management professionals, geographers, urban planners, and social scientists. Ashraf M. Dewan is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Spatial Sciences at Curtin University, Western Australia (on leave from his substantive position as Associate Professor in the Geography & Environment Department at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh).

This book reviews the state of the art of natural disasters like floods and landslides, highlighting the possibility of safe and correct land planning and management by means of a global approach to territory. In fact, the events deriving from slope dynamics (gravitational phenomena) and fluvial dynamics (floods) are commonly triggered by the same factor (heavy rainfall), occur at the same time and are closely related. For this reason, this book analyses floods and slope stability phenomena as different aspects of the same dynamic system: the drainage basin.

The book Dhaka Megacity: Geospatial Perspectives on Urbanisation, Environment and Health presents the use of geospatial techniques to address a number of environmental issues, including land use change, climatic variability, urban sprawl, population density modelling, flooding, environmental health, water quality, energy resources, urban growth modelling, infectious diseases and the quality of life. Although the work is focused on the Megacity of Dhaka in Bangladesh, the techniques and methods that are used to research these issues can be utilized in any other areas where rapid population growth coupled with unplanned urbanization is leading to environmental degradation. The book is useful for people working in the area of Geospatial Science, Urban Geography, Environmental Management and International Development. Since the chapters in the book cover a range of environmental issues, this book describes useful tools for assisting informed decision making, particularly in developing countries.

Exploring the importance of megacities and megacity-regions as one of the defining features of the 21st century, this Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of current thinking and debates from leading scholars in the field. Highlighting major current challenges and dimensions of megaurbanization, chapters form a thematic focus on governance, planning, history, and environmental and social issues, supported by case studies from every continent.

Based on a major international study, this volume provides a synthesis of scientific knowledge on megacity urbanization on the coast, environmental impacts, risks and management choices, including a focus on adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk management. It is the primary output of a major international scientific project sponsored by the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme, the Land-Ocean Interactions at the Coastal Zone programme of IHDP/IGBP, and others. It brings together the work of over 60 contributing authors and an international review board. It presents the international policy and academic community with an unbiased and high quality assessment of the state-of-the art in areas of social-ecological systems interaction. One of its main messages is that while we know a great deal about megacities of more than ten million people and about urban processes, and about coasts and their physical and ecological processes (aquatic, physical and atmospheric), there is relatively little work that focusses primarily at points of intersection between large-scale urbanization and the coast. The book responds to this gap by providing the first global synthesis of megacity and large urban region urbanization on the coast. Its focus is on environmental and development challenges, climate change and disaster. It is interdisciplinary and brings together world recognised scientists (including many IPCC lead authors) on urban climate and atmosphere, disaster risk management, demography and coastal environments.

The unprecedented growth of cities has a significant impact on future flood risk that might exceed the impacts of climate change in many metropolitan areas across the world. Although the effects of urbanisation on flood risk are well understood, assessments that include spatially explicit future growth projections are limited. This comparative study provides insight in the long term development of future riverine and pluvial flood risk for 18 fast growing megacities. The outcomes provide not only a baseline absent in current practise, but also a strategic outlook that might better establish the role of urban planning in limiting future flood risk.

This book, the first volume, highlights 8 out of a total of about 36 megacities in the World which by definition have 10 million inhabitants. The cities/chapters presented in this book are based on recent advance such as the wide use of ICT, IOT, e-Governance, e-Democracy, smart economy and flattening and acceleration of the world that is taking place in recent times as reported by 3 times Pulitzer Prize Winner Thomas Friedman. It therefor departs from other ideologies where only a certain megacity qualifies for the title of smart global megacities while in reality every megacity can, and presents how smart global megacities can be created.

Like so many of the coastal cities in Southeast Asia (and other regions) established during European colonialism, there has been an ongoing challenge for decades dealing with the growing frequency and intensity of flooding. Jakarta’s flood problems since the 1990s have been nothing less than monumental and the inability of the local and national governments to mitigate flooding in Jakarta is the most visible manifestation of fundamental water management deficiencies. This book offers a comprehensive and systematic historical assessment of Jakarta’s water management practices from the colonial era through the early years of the Indonesian republic and Jakarta’s emergence as a sprawling megacity. This book draws upon a vast multidisciplinary literature and a wide array of government documents to unravel the complex history of water management that has led to approximately 40% of the city now lying below sea level. This book will be a useful reference to those who research on topics such as urbanization in Southeast Asia, sustainable development, urban and planning history, environmental planning, issues of water management (and flooding), and the politics of planning and development.

Includes universal frameworks and processes to provide a structured approach to cope with climate change impacts in megacities Features detail-oriented research and analysis of climate change health risks Discusses seven megacities' case studies in developed and developing countries Uses a risk management system approach that deals with climate variability and its impacts before and after the severe weather event hits the city Helps readers understand the actual policies and adopt them more speedily and efficiently as climate change impacts on health become more evident