Resilient Cities 2012 3 rd Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation Bonn, Germany, 12-15 May 2012

1. Resilient Cities 20123rd Global Forum on Urban Resilience and AdaptationBonn, Germany, 12-15 May 2012 G4: Urban Risk Forum 1 Gregory James Pillay Manager (Head): Disaster Risk Management Centre City of Cape Town Republic of South Africa

2. Involvement in Urban Risk • Disaster Risk Management Centre of the City of Cape Town • Prescribed in National Legislation, Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 • Establishment of Municipal Disaster Management Centres • Myriad Powers and Duties of Municipal Disaster Management Centres • Reduce Disaster Risk / Consequences of Disasters • Emergency Preparedness • Rapid and Effective Response to disasters.

3. Disaster Response Citizen Protection Paradigm Disaster Relief Reactive Disaster Occurrence Pre- Warning Disaster Rehabilitation Disaster Preparedness Plans Added Paradigm Pro-Active Disaster Risk Reduction Plans Disaster Reconstruction Disaster Risk Assessment Disaster Risk Assessment seen relative to DM Continuum

4. Particular Urban Risk for the City of Cape Town • Rapid Urbanisation / in-migration to City • Increase in informal settlement dwellings / population • Demand on provision of basic municipal services, eg. water, electricity, sanitation,, health services, etc. • Demand on existing infrastructure, utility services infrastructure, roads, public transport systems, health facilities, schools, public amenities, etc. • Informal settlement fires and floods • Vegetation / Wild Fires (Summer)

5. Sustainable Solutions • Need for a national urbanisation policy • Increase the provision for low cost formal housing • Provide in-situ upgrading of informal settlements • Intensify public awareness and preparedness of the hazards of fires and floods in informal settlements • Transform informal settlements into safe, habitable spaces with collaboration with other role-players, such as Housing Department and other Municipal Line Function Departments. • Reconfiguration / re-blocking of informal settlements to provide for quick and easy access and egress for emergency and utility services

6. Sustainable Solutions • Set standards for safe and fire-retardant building materials in informal settlements • Ensure the provision of basic Municipal Services to all informal settlements • Provide funding for expanding existing Municipal infrastructure commensurate with population expansion in City • Provide seasonal contracted aerial ( helicopter) support to Fire Service for assisting with vegetation / wild fires

7. Topics / Priorities requiring international attention • International guideline document to deal with rapid urbanisation in Cities • National Urbanisation Policy • Monitor influx to cities by maintaining database to assist city planners • Cost effective, safe and sustainable low cost housing options • Efficient and effective land use management by city planners • Enforce building standards and codes that includes retrofitting in line with climatic and seismic conditions. • Investment in maintaining of existing infrastructure and expansion thereof, to accommodate influx