Papers by Giuseppe Forino
• Dang, K. B., Giang, T. L., Phan, T. T., Truong, Q. H., Do, T. H., Dang, N. V., & Forino, G., 2024, Deep learning models integrating multi-sensor and-temporal remote sensing to monitor landslide traces in Vietnam. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 105, 104391. Landslides pose significant threats to lives and public infrastructure in mountainous regions. Re... more Landslides pose significant threats to lives and public infrastructure in mountainous regions. Real-time landslide monitoring presents challenges for scientists, often involving substantial costs and risks due to challenging terrain and instability. Recent technological advancements offer the potential to identify landslide-prone areas and provide timely warnings to local populations when adverse weather conditions arise. This study aims to achieve three key objectives: (1) propose indicators for detecting landslides in both field and remote sensing images; (2) develop deep learning (DL) models capable of automatically identifying landslides from fusion data of Sentinel-1 (SAR) and Sentinel-2 (optical) images; and (3) employ DL-trained models to detect this natural hazard in specific regions of Vietnam. Twenty DL models were trained, utilizing three Ushaped architectures, which include U-Net and U-Net3+, combined with different data-fusion choices. The training data consisted of multi-temporal Sentinel images and increased the accuracy of DL models using Adam optimizer to 99% in landslide detection with low loss function values. Using two bands of the Sentinel-1 could not define the characteristics of landslide traces. However, the integration between Sentinel-2 data and these bands makes the landslide detection process more effective. Therefore, the authors proposed a consolidated strategy based on three models: (1) UNet using four S2-bands, (2) UNet3+ using four S2-bands, (3) UNet using four S2bands and VV S1-band, and (4) UNet using four S2-bands and VH S1-band for fully detect landslides. This integrated strategy uses the capabilities of each model and overcomes model result constraints to better describe landslide traces in varied geographical locations.
Purpose-Reflexivity supports research teams in developing and implementing interdisciplinarity pe... more Purpose-Reflexivity supports research teams in developing and implementing interdisciplinarity perspectives, but there is still limited literature on this topic. To fill this gap, we explore how reflexivity can support a research team in its interdisciplinary efforts to create new knowledge for disaster risk reduction. Design/methodology/approach-We present the reflexive journey of our interdisciplinary research team consisting of Ecuador-and UK-based researchers from the social sciences, physical sciences and the arts and humanities and conducting multi-hazard research on Quito. By triangulating data obtained from different
City, 2024
Urban climate action is increasingly understood through the lens of
finance: through financial ag... more Urban climate action is increasingly understood through the lens of
finance: through financial agendas, interests, and practical tools which
enable ‘bankable’ or profitable interventions. While the literature is rife
with criticism of the normative foundations and exploitative effects of
this approach, it fails to capture the variegated ways in which finance
configures, and is configured by, particular urban sites and spaces of
power. This contribution extends our cartography of urban climate
finance by bringing to light the relational dynamics of financial
practices and the ways in which they span across diverse urban sites
in topological ways. It has now become a common refrain among
development and finance institutions that urban climate finance is, in
fact, difficult to realize. A central reason for this is the perceived lack of
possibilities to generate returns for investors. A topological perspective
offers a relational view on the spatial practices through which new
places are to be enrolled into the use of climate finance with the aim
of stabilizing financial investment. Concentrating on the notion of
‘topological reach’, we show how climate finance, through its particular
demands for bankability, creates new urban presences through spatial mechanisms of stretches, folds and distortions. By examining these
topological mechanisms across a breadth of empirical material
sourced from the individual research of the coauthors, we unpack the
ways in which climate finance strategies are extended by a limited
set of actors across space, often dominating and instrumentalizing
urban climate action imaginaries and practices, while also failing to
address a wide range of concerns and communities which fall outside
of the operational parameters and speculative horizons of finance.
The topological perspective provides us with the tools to make these
struggles visible and opens up avenues to contest contemporary climate
finance practices on the ground and to decenter the overarching
narratives that drive contemporary climate finance.
The AAG Review of Books, 2023
black-and-white illustrations. £36.99 paper (ISBN 9781032162720), £33.29 electronic (ISBN 9781315... more black-and-white illustrations. £36.99 paper (ISBN 9781032162720), £33.29 electronic (ISBN 9781315752167).
Environment & Urbanization, 2022
Funds-based mechanisms for urban adaptation finance are still underexplored. Addressing this gap,... more Funds-based mechanisms for urban adaptation finance are still underexplored. Addressing this gap, as well as the need for greater learning about 'how' urban adaptation finance operates, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for such analysis that considers complexity, uncertainty, transformation and vulnerability. We analyse 39 urban projects financed by Climate Adaptation Funds (CAFs) using a qualitative approach. The findings indicate the ongoing dominance of national governments at all stages of the funding cycle, and of a focus on "hard" adaptation measures, but also a diverse set of stakeholder relationships involved in CAF finance which offers potential for greater multi-stakeholder and multisectoral management of complexity. Few projects, however, address the management of uncertainty. While upscaling from projects is a common preoccupation, catalysing effects across sectors are limited, and transformative mechanisms for addressing vulnerability are limited to consultation with vulnerable groups. Innovations are highlighted which merit further exploration through case study analysis.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science , 2021
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015−2030’s (SFDRR) framing moved away from disa... more The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015−2030’s (SFDRR) framing moved away from disaster risk as a natural phenomenon to the examination of the inequality and injustice at the root of human vulnerability to hazards and disasters. Yet, its achievements have not seriously challenged the long-established capitalist systems of oppression that hinder the development leading to disaster risk creation. This article is an exploratory mapping exercise of and a collective reflection on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SFDRR indicators—and their use in measuring progress towards disaster risk reduction (DRR). We highlight that despite the rhetoric of vulnerability, the measurement of progress towards DRR remains event/hazard-centric. We argue that the measurement of disaster risk could be greatly enhanced by the integration of development data in future iterations of global DRR frameworks for action.
Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2021
Climate change and associated processes can increase the occurrence of some natural hazards and t... more Climate change and associated processes can increase the occurrence of some natural hazards and threaten business operations. Therefore, it is widely recommended businesses respond to climate change and implement climate change adaptation. Worldwide, businesses make efforts towards climate change adaptation, but investigation on such efforts is still required. To partially fill this research gap, the paper explores businesses adaptation efforts in the Hunter Valley, Australia. The paper collects primary data from open-ended interviews to 10 representatives of local businesses and supporting organizations. The paper reveals that businesses interpret climate change in different ways. While some businesses are sceptical about climate change, others are aware of it and its impacts on everyday operations. Businesses therefore implement adaptation by integrating climate change into everyday operations and continuity planning. The paper also shows diverse interactions occurring between businesses and other local stakeholders such as governments and communities. Usually, higher government levels offer vague and limited support to businesses and inhibit their adaptive efforts. Meanwhile, interactions between businesses and City Councils can be both collaborative and fragmented. Some businesses also interact with local communities by disclosing information about their operations and response to climate change. The paper discusses these findings and provides conclusions under the form of recommendations for policy and research on Australian businesses and climate change adaptation.
The Internet and Higher Education, 2020
Web-based simulations (WBS) are increasingly used by educators to deliver higher education curric... more Web-based simulations (WBS) are increasingly used by educators to deliver higher education curricula. Given the growing number and diversity of students undertaking study in higher education institutions worldwide, it is critical that WBS are situated within a wider social-constructivist approach that facilitates community-based learning. To this end, we argue that the community of inquiry (CoI) framework offers a suitable solution. Based on a series of interviews with university educators and emergency management practitioners this paper investigates how the CoI framework can support the effective use of WBS to deliver disaster studies curricula in the higher education context. The findings indicate that purposefully addressing cognitive, social and teaching presence within a CoI is valuable when WBS are used in higher education and emphasise a range of issues that are particular to the use of WBS and the disaster studies context.
Italian Journal of Planning Practice, 2019
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges and opportunities of pre-disaster stra... more The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges and opportunities of pre-disaster strategic planning in supporting temporary housing provision, using as a case study the earthquakes occurred in Italian central Apennines in 2016 and 2017. The paper explores such challenges and opportunities in several municipalities along four affected regions. Primary data were retrieved from fieldwork conducted in March 2017 in some affected municipalities, supported by interviews to relevant organizations
Disaster Prevention and Management, 2019
We hope that the issue as a whole, and every single paper of it, can represent a milestone toward... more We hope that the issue as a whole, and every single paper of it, can represent a milestone towards a better understanding of the L'Aquila earthquake and the post-disaster recovery praxis in Italy. We also hope further research, not limited to Italy, will build upon the contents presented here.
Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal,
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emeral... more If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
Il Lavoro Culturale - Sismografie , 2019
Il 6 aprile 2019 è stato il decimo anniversario del terremoto dell’Aquila, punto di partenza di u... more Il 6 aprile 2019 è stato il decimo anniversario del terremoto dell’Aquila, punto di partenza di una rete formale e informale di pratiche e riflessioni che ha portato alla nascita del nostro spazio Sismografie e ad un rinnovato interesse delle scienze sociali italiane ai Risk e Disaster Studies. Come curatori di questo spazio di dialogo all’interno del Lavoro Culturale, abbiamo scelto di intervistare chi, da vari punti di vista, ha analizzato il post-disastro all’Aquila (che continua). Non abbiamo chiesto di proporre soluzioni, ma riflessioni da angolature probabilmente poco battute nell’inevitabile flusso mediatico di queste settimane, persistenze della messa in scena di una Via Crucis emergenziale ormai assurta a caso studio internazionale. Ridare voce a ricercatori e ricercatrici e ad aquilane ed aquilani ci sembra possa continuare il lavoro di straforo che da otto anni e quasi 90 articoli intessiamo per proporre una visione differenziale sullo studio e la gestione del rischio e dei disastri nel nostro Paese. Dopo la prima intervista a Lina Maria Calandra e la seconda a David Alexander intervistiamo Isabella Tomassi, dottoranda in geografia, urbanistica e pianificazione all’Université de Lyon 2 (UMR Triangle, ENS/Lyon), a lungo occupatasi delle questione aquilana dapprima come attivista nel Comitato 3e32, poi come abitante dell’esperienza autonoma di EVA, l’EcoVillaggio Autocostruito di Pescomaggiore (di cui parleremo in questa intervista), e ora come studiosa.
In Australia, local communities often enact Community-Based Initiatives
(CBIs) to respond to clim... more In Australia, local communities often enact Community-Based Initiatives
(CBIs) to respond to climate change through Climate Change Adaptation
(CCA). CBIs can also be integrated into the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
agenda. The paper explores the extent to which CBIs promote the
mainstreaming of CCA into DRR. Primary data were obtained from
interviews with representatives of CBIs and supporting organisations in
three local governments of the Hunter Valley (New South Wales,
Australia). Findings show that CBIs recognise the potential contribution
of climate change in modifying the local hazard profile. CBIs mainstream
CCA into DRR by following four approaches: environmental and social
justice; sustainability and transition; ecosystem-based approach; and
adaptive planning. Partnerships were identified both among CBIs and
between CBIs and City Councils; however, conflicts between CBIs, City
Councils and business actors emerged, and a lack of commitment by
multi-level governments in responding to climate change was revealed.
The findings show that CBIs consider CCA and DRR within a broad
everyday context related to vulnerability and local development. But we
argue that assigning responsibility for climate change issues to CBIs is
not a panacea and should not be the only local climate change
response. Instead, CBIs need to be included in a larger and long-term
commitment by actors that possess access to resources, such as higher
levels of government. The paper provides a local Australian perspective
on the effectiveness of mainstreaming CCA into DRR and furthers the
conversation for the benefit of other communities facing similar
challenges.
Purpose – This paper aims to explore challenges and opportunities for Australian local government... more Purpose – This paper aims to explore challenges and opportunities for Australian local governments (LGs) in governance of climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) integration.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies three Australian LGs which are subjected to potential climate change-related hazards. Semi-structured interviews with staff officers of the selected LGs
and supporting organizations have been conducted to collect and analyze primary data.
Findings – The findings reveal that emerging challenges in governance of CCA and DRR integration include the political sensitiveness of climate change, uncertainty and standstill because of the vagueness by higher government levels, competing interests between LGs’ departments and
communication breakdowns because of scepticism and the use of jargon. Meanwhile, the findings reveal that emerging opportunities include the promotion of participation mechanisms in planning, the
creation of partnerships with local stakeholders and the use of coordination organizations and platforms. Exploring these challenges and opportunities represents a key step to strengthen governance
mechanisms at a local level.
Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a limited number (3) of Australian case studies with a limited number (15) of interviews. Further insights could be gained by analyzing more
Australian LGs, involving a higher number of participants, and by using complementary research methods and data (survey and questionnaires) about experiences of other local stakeholders.
Originality/value – The paper is one of the few exploring challenges and opportunities of Australian LGs in governance of CCA and DRR integration in Australia and discusses them in terms of the potential to
strengthen governance mechanisms within Australian LGs.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Gaza Strip has suffered regular cycles of reconstruc... more In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Gaza Strip has suffered regular cycles of reconstruction due to systematic destruction during Israeli military operations, as in 2006, 2008–2009, 2012, and 2014. In this context of ongoing conflict this article aims to identify, rank, and discuss the most important factors influencing post-disaster reconstruction project management (PDRPM) for housing in the Gaza Strip. A set of key factors that influence PDRPM were assembled as a result of a global literature review. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and the obtained data were analyzed using a relative importance index for each PDRPM factor. Findings are presented in six groups: housing approaches, organizational behavior, project funding, supply chain and logistics, communication and coordination, and PDRPM context. Findings indicate that the most significant factors that influence PDRPM for housing provision in the Gaza Strip are related to issues associated with financial resources. It is critical that sufficient funding should be available in order to allow organizations to undertake housing projects in an effective and efficient way. Joint efforts are required from international donors and local organizations in order to effectively manage financial resources with the ultimate goal of improving PDRPM for housing provision. Keywords Gaza strip Á Israel–Palestine conflict Á Post-disaster housing Á Post-disaster project management Á Post-disaster reconstruction
Measuring the progress of a recovery process after an earthquake: The case of L'Aquila, Italy, 2018
After the earthquake in 2009, L’Aquila (Italy) began a recovery process characterized by a delay ... more After the earthquake in 2009, L’Aquila (Italy) began a recovery process characterized by a delay in the reconstruction of the city center. Between 2010 and 2014 a recovery index was formulated based on spatial indicators, such as building condition and building use, to measure the progress of the recovery process in L’Aquila. Eight years after the earthquake, the work presented in this paper was used to update the recovery index, not only by measuring the progress of the recovery in L’Aquila but also by validating the usefulness of the proposed recovery index. To achieve this objective, the current research considered the same set of spatial indicators that were used to determine the progress of the recovery in L’Aquila by 2010, 2012, and 2014 in the revaluation of the expert criteria. It was found that in 2016 the number of reconstructed buildings and buildings under ongoing construction had significantly increased and the number of buildings with residential and commercial use had increased along the main roads. While progress was observed in the overall building condition, there was no significant progress in the building use. This poses several questions about how the recovery process can contribute to the return of the inhabitants to the city center of L’Aquila. The paper concludes that the proposed recovery index is useful for identifying the spatial pattern of the recovery process in an urban area affected by an earthquake. At the same time, this recovery index allows the recovery progress to be quantified based on indicators.
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 2017
There is a need to provide more effective learning experiences for higher education (HE) students... more There is a need to provide more effective learning experiences for higher education (HE) students in transdisciplinary contexts such as disasters and emergency management. While much has been written on the value of simulation exercises (SEs) for emergency management practitioners, research has focussed less on their value for HE students. The purpose of this paper is to identify how a practitioner-oriented framework for the design and use of SEs in emergency management is relevant to the HE context and how this framework may need to be adapted to support effective learning by HE students. An interpretive approach based on a qualitative content analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews with emergency management practitioners and educators is used to enable an in-depth understanding of the social phenomena to be obtained. The paper highlights that a framework for the design and use of SEs for emergency management practitioners is potentially valuable in the HE context but should be applied in a nuanced way. The paper is based on a small number of interviews and future studies could usefully analyse a wider set of perspectives (e.g. students), using a variety of alternative
methods (e.g. surveys), to further test and/or enrich the framework. Insights from the paper can inform the design and use of SEs in the HE context with a view to supporting more effective learning that better prepares students to operate during disaster events when they enter the emergency management workforce. This is the first paper that has investigated the value of a practitioner-oriented framework for the design and use of disaster SEs in the HE context. In so doing, the paper has highlighted how the dimensions of the framework apply in the HE context and has revealed other issues that need to be addressed to support effective learning by HE students.
Les communautés de la périphérie de Dakar face aux inondations récurrentes : pertinence du capita... more Les communautés de la périphérie de Dakar face aux inondations récurrentes : pertinence du capital social en lien avec la capacité adaptative Résumé. Une conjugaison de politiques de déplacement de populations du centre-ville de Dakar, Sénégal, vers la périphériede la sécheresse prononcée des années 1970 ayant occasionné un exode rural massif et l'installation non maîtrisée de populations, puis du retour des pluies à partir des années 2000a généré une situation inextricable pour les communautés pauvres, qui subissent des inondations année après année. Avant de concevoir des actions d'accompagnement des communautés qui essayent de lutter contre les inondations, nous avons voulu d'abord analyser les facteurs, internes et externes, qui favorisent ou empêchent leur mobilisation et leur capacité à agir en autonomie, données que nous avons essayé d'obtenir au travers d'une enquête exploratoire, qualitative. La pertinence du capital social a été analysée et confirmée en étudiant les relations et réseaux existants (intra-et intercommunautaires), et leur influence sur la capacité d'appropriation de l'espace public et d'agir. Des catégories telles que l'entraide, le contrôle social informel, en tant que dimensions (non exhaustives) du capital social, ainsi que la gouvernance (confiance, engagement) et la composition des groupes ont été renseignées puis rapprochées des différentes réalisations. La mobilisation d'un cadre théorique basé sur le capital social offre des possibilités pour aborder la capacité à agir des organisations, ouvrant sur des pistes pour tout travail d'accompagnement des communautés, dans le sens de leur empowerment, en particulier dans le contexte du Sud.
Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) integration is a pressing conce... more Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) integration is a pressing concern for Australia. Normative instruments such as Strategies, Policies, and Plans are among the principal ways that Local Governments (LGs) use to promote CCA&DRR integration. To understand how CCA&DRR integration is promoted into Strategies, Policies, and Plans by Australian LGs, the paper performs a content analysis of documents in Singleton, Newcastle, and Lake Macquarie-three LGs located in the Hunter region, New South Wales (NSW). Findings indicate that: (i) the three selected LGs recognize that climate change exacerbates frequency and intensity for hazards; (ii) some documents include common goals for promoting CCA, showing synergies among different topics; (iii) documents recommend CCA measures for several aspects of the built environment, including land-use, building standards, and infrastructure and asset materials; and, (iv) public participation mechanisms were proposed to enact CCA measures. While these measures are important, understanding how CCA will be implemented is still necessary. Fragmentation exists between CCA goals in these LGs and future programs by the NSW government for the built environment in the Hunter region. Additionally, efforts are required to understand how public participation mechanisms can contribute to reducing vulnerabilities to climate change-related hazards. Finally, the initial evidence shows that the Lake Macquarie LG shows greater commitment in CCA&DRR integration than Newcastle and Singleton LGs. The paper demonstrates that a focus on how LGs promote CCA&DRR integration into Strategies, Policies, and Plans can extend our understanding of climate change response by LGs.
Evaluations of environmental impacts of RDPs are characterized by a number of methodological chal... more Evaluations of environmental impacts of RDPs are characterized by a number of methodological challenges. However, recent methodological developments have improved the understanding and capacity of analysing the impacts of farming and forestry on the provision of public goods. Against this background, the main aim of ENVIEVAL is to develop and test improved tools for the evaluation of environmental impacts of rural development measures and programmes in EU Member States. The main innovative aspects of the new methodological frameworks are that they enable the integration of micro- and macro-level evaluations (and their results) and provide guidance on the selection and application of costeffective evaluation methods to estimate net effects of rural development programmes on the different main public goods from farming and forestry.
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Papers by Giuseppe Forino
finance: through financial agendas, interests, and practical tools which
enable ‘bankable’ or profitable interventions. While the literature is rife
with criticism of the normative foundations and exploitative effects of
this approach, it fails to capture the variegated ways in which finance
configures, and is configured by, particular urban sites and spaces of
power. This contribution extends our cartography of urban climate
finance by bringing to light the relational dynamics of financial
practices and the ways in which they span across diverse urban sites
in topological ways. It has now become a common refrain among
development and finance institutions that urban climate finance is, in
fact, difficult to realize. A central reason for this is the perceived lack of
possibilities to generate returns for investors. A topological perspective
offers a relational view on the spatial practices through which new
places are to be enrolled into the use of climate finance with the aim
of stabilizing financial investment. Concentrating on the notion of
‘topological reach’, we show how climate finance, through its particular
demands for bankability, creates new urban presences through spatial mechanisms of stretches, folds and distortions. By examining these
topological mechanisms across a breadth of empirical material
sourced from the individual research of the coauthors, we unpack the
ways in which climate finance strategies are extended by a limited
set of actors across space, often dominating and instrumentalizing
urban climate action imaginaries and practices, while also failing to
address a wide range of concerns and communities which fall outside
of the operational parameters and speculative horizons of finance.
The topological perspective provides us with the tools to make these
struggles visible and opens up avenues to contest contemporary climate
finance practices on the ground and to decenter the overarching
narratives that drive contemporary climate finance.
(CBIs) to respond to climate change through Climate Change Adaptation
(CCA). CBIs can also be integrated into the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
agenda. The paper explores the extent to which CBIs promote the
mainstreaming of CCA into DRR. Primary data were obtained from
interviews with representatives of CBIs and supporting organisations in
three local governments of the Hunter Valley (New South Wales,
Australia). Findings show that CBIs recognise the potential contribution
of climate change in modifying the local hazard profile. CBIs mainstream
CCA into DRR by following four approaches: environmental and social
justice; sustainability and transition; ecosystem-based approach; and
adaptive planning. Partnerships were identified both among CBIs and
between CBIs and City Councils; however, conflicts between CBIs, City
Councils and business actors emerged, and a lack of commitment by
multi-level governments in responding to climate change was revealed.
The findings show that CBIs consider CCA and DRR within a broad
everyday context related to vulnerability and local development. But we
argue that assigning responsibility for climate change issues to CBIs is
not a panacea and should not be the only local climate change
response. Instead, CBIs need to be included in a larger and long-term
commitment by actors that possess access to resources, such as higher
levels of government. The paper provides a local Australian perspective
on the effectiveness of mainstreaming CCA into DRR and furthers the
conversation for the benefit of other communities facing similar
challenges.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies three Australian LGs which are subjected to potential climate change-related hazards. Semi-structured interviews with staff officers of the selected LGs
and supporting organizations have been conducted to collect and analyze primary data.
Findings – The findings reveal that emerging challenges in governance of CCA and DRR integration include the political sensitiveness of climate change, uncertainty and standstill because of the vagueness by higher government levels, competing interests between LGs’ departments and
communication breakdowns because of scepticism and the use of jargon. Meanwhile, the findings reveal that emerging opportunities include the promotion of participation mechanisms in planning, the
creation of partnerships with local stakeholders and the use of coordination organizations and platforms. Exploring these challenges and opportunities represents a key step to strengthen governance
mechanisms at a local level.
Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a limited number (3) of Australian case studies with a limited number (15) of interviews. Further insights could be gained by analyzing more
Australian LGs, involving a higher number of participants, and by using complementary research methods and data (survey and questionnaires) about experiences of other local stakeholders.
Originality/value – The paper is one of the few exploring challenges and opportunities of Australian LGs in governance of CCA and DRR integration in Australia and discusses them in terms of the potential to
strengthen governance mechanisms within Australian LGs.
methods (e.g. surveys), to further test and/or enrich the framework. Insights from the paper can inform the design and use of SEs in the HE context with a view to supporting more effective learning that better prepares students to operate during disaster events when they enter the emergency management workforce. This is the first paper that has investigated the value of a practitioner-oriented framework for the design and use of disaster SEs in the HE context. In so doing, the paper has highlighted how the dimensions of the framework apply in the HE context and has revealed other issues that need to be addressed to support effective learning by HE students.
finance: through financial agendas, interests, and practical tools which
enable ‘bankable’ or profitable interventions. While the literature is rife
with criticism of the normative foundations and exploitative effects of
this approach, it fails to capture the variegated ways in which finance
configures, and is configured by, particular urban sites and spaces of
power. This contribution extends our cartography of urban climate
finance by bringing to light the relational dynamics of financial
practices and the ways in which they span across diverse urban sites
in topological ways. It has now become a common refrain among
development and finance institutions that urban climate finance is, in
fact, difficult to realize. A central reason for this is the perceived lack of
possibilities to generate returns for investors. A topological perspective
offers a relational view on the spatial practices through which new
places are to be enrolled into the use of climate finance with the aim
of stabilizing financial investment. Concentrating on the notion of
‘topological reach’, we show how climate finance, through its particular
demands for bankability, creates new urban presences through spatial mechanisms of stretches, folds and distortions. By examining these
topological mechanisms across a breadth of empirical material
sourced from the individual research of the coauthors, we unpack the
ways in which climate finance strategies are extended by a limited
set of actors across space, often dominating and instrumentalizing
urban climate action imaginaries and practices, while also failing to
address a wide range of concerns and communities which fall outside
of the operational parameters and speculative horizons of finance.
The topological perspective provides us with the tools to make these
struggles visible and opens up avenues to contest contemporary climate
finance practices on the ground and to decenter the overarching
narratives that drive contemporary climate finance.
(CBIs) to respond to climate change through Climate Change Adaptation
(CCA). CBIs can also be integrated into the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
agenda. The paper explores the extent to which CBIs promote the
mainstreaming of CCA into DRR. Primary data were obtained from
interviews with representatives of CBIs and supporting organisations in
three local governments of the Hunter Valley (New South Wales,
Australia). Findings show that CBIs recognise the potential contribution
of climate change in modifying the local hazard profile. CBIs mainstream
CCA into DRR by following four approaches: environmental and social
justice; sustainability and transition; ecosystem-based approach; and
adaptive planning. Partnerships were identified both among CBIs and
between CBIs and City Councils; however, conflicts between CBIs, City
Councils and business actors emerged, and a lack of commitment by
multi-level governments in responding to climate change was revealed.
The findings show that CBIs consider CCA and DRR within a broad
everyday context related to vulnerability and local development. But we
argue that assigning responsibility for climate change issues to CBIs is
not a panacea and should not be the only local climate change
response. Instead, CBIs need to be included in a larger and long-term
commitment by actors that possess access to resources, such as higher
levels of government. The paper provides a local Australian perspective
on the effectiveness of mainstreaming CCA into DRR and furthers the
conversation for the benefit of other communities facing similar
challenges.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies three Australian LGs which are subjected to potential climate change-related hazards. Semi-structured interviews with staff officers of the selected LGs
and supporting organizations have been conducted to collect and analyze primary data.
Findings – The findings reveal that emerging challenges in governance of CCA and DRR integration include the political sensitiveness of climate change, uncertainty and standstill because of the vagueness by higher government levels, competing interests between LGs’ departments and
communication breakdowns because of scepticism and the use of jargon. Meanwhile, the findings reveal that emerging opportunities include the promotion of participation mechanisms in planning, the
creation of partnerships with local stakeholders and the use of coordination organizations and platforms. Exploring these challenges and opportunities represents a key step to strengthen governance
mechanisms at a local level.
Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a limited number (3) of Australian case studies with a limited number (15) of interviews. Further insights could be gained by analyzing more
Australian LGs, involving a higher number of participants, and by using complementary research methods and data (survey and questionnaires) about experiences of other local stakeholders.
Originality/value – The paper is one of the few exploring challenges and opportunities of Australian LGs in governance of CCA and DRR integration in Australia and discusses them in terms of the potential to
strengthen governance mechanisms within Australian LGs.
methods (e.g. surveys), to further test and/or enrich the framework. Insights from the paper can inform the design and use of SEs in the HE context with a view to supporting more effective learning that better prepares students to operate during disaster events when they enter the emergency management workforce. This is the first paper that has investigated the value of a practitioner-oriented framework for the design and use of disaster SEs in the HE context. In so doing, the paper has highlighted how the dimensions of the framework apply in the HE context and has revealed other issues that need to be addressed to support effective learning by HE students.
Tzanavari, Popadopoulos & Sotiriou, 2007). Such tools also enable students to interact with each other and with the scenario context (Trillaud, Pham, Rabah, Estraillier & Malki, 2012; Taylor & Evans 2005) in achieving learning outcomes (Jinks, Norton, Taylor & Stewart, 2011). In a pedagogical context, scenario tools have been adopted by many disciplines, including health (Schultz, Koenig, Whiteside, Murray, & National Standardized All-Hazzard Disaster Core, 2012), business (Buytendijk, Hatch & Micheli, 2010), aviation (Schwaitzberg, Godinez, Kavic, Sutton, Worthington, Colburn & Park, 2009) and disaster management (Jinks Norton, Taylor & Stewart, 2011). This demonstrates that many attributes of these scenarios are universal and interchangeable across disciplines. Unlike some existing commercial emergency management ‘event’ simulators, RES-SIM takes a ‘whole-system’ approach to enable students to hone their judgement on decision-making in a safe environment and provides valuable feedback based on engineering, social and economic based system dynamics. Therefore, RES-SIM greatly contributes to Australian higher education and emergency management training by promoting effective and efficient online learning. This prepares students for work and provides them with valuable decision-making skills to be applied in complex real-world scenarios.
The objective of the deliverable is to provide an analytical framework to apprehend
adaptation strategies implemented by cities, through at least four RAMSES city case studies - Bilbao, Bogotá, New York and Rio de Janeiro. The development of a framework is the first step in the analysis of the decision-making processes on adaptation, which will look at the diversity of the protagonists, their rationality, and the elements that structure their behaviour. In this paper, we propose an analytical framework based on “bottom-up” adaptation approaches from authors such as Wardekker and al (2009) and Smit and Wandel (2006). Reflections on practical adaptation initiatives that take into account the adaptive capacity and vulnerability of communities are first explored in order to forge the basis of the broader
system-centred resilience framework. We then review literature on the actors of adaptation from approaches including the institutionalist approach, Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) and Transition to Sustainability (TS). The originality of the framework resides in that it seeks to identify what can be done in a practical sense, in what way and by whom in order to enhance cities’ resilience to climate change hazards. It considers, from a participant’ view, the adaptation needs in each case
study, the actors involved, as well as the drivers and obstacles to adaptation.
The objective of the Annex is thus twofold:
a) to present an overview about how climate change adaptation issues and costs are developed in the current policy agenda in Italy, both at national and urban scale;
b) to point out significant aspects of urban vulnerability, that policy makers and scholars have to consider in future strategies of adaptation to climate change impacts, particularly in the case of extreme rainfall.
The Italian state-of-art will be described through an overview of the climate change
adaptation policies since its earlier steps during the 1990s. Section 2 will analyse and discuss preliminary experiences of costs assessments in relation to flood and heat waves, although they do not present a specific urban target. Some strategies of climate change adaptation will also be presented for some Italian cities and metropolitan areas, summarised in the Table “Italian Cities” at the end of this report. Sections 3, 4 and 5 will discuss two severe floods, occurred in 1970 and 2011 in the Italian city of Genoa. They will be described looking at the damages and related costs assessments as well as on changing vulnerability factors contributing to an increased risk. In this way, a comparison with the RAMSES case studies is carried out in terms of vulnerability aspects (Section 6). In Section 7, adaptation and mitigation strategies, implemented by Genoa to increase the coping capacities with climate change effects, are described as suggestions for those RAMSES case studies with similar vulnerability aspects. Finally, Section 8 will present the experience of the BLUE AP adaptation plan of the Italian city of Bologna as an example of an advanced stage of adaptation plan in an Italian city. The paper proposes five conclusive remarks, also in the way of suggesting main recommendations for the future activities of WP5 and the RAMSES project in general:
1) only recently climate change adaptation has been added to the Italian policy agenda, and related costs assessments have just emerged within the political debate. Thus, updated results about the assessment of adaptation costs in Italy are lacking, but studies of the National Conference on Climate Change (NCCC) since 2007 represent a seminal contribution to provide preliminary results about climate change impacts, such as floods and heat waves. Costs and benefits analysis of climate change adaptation would further allow to understand priority areas of intervention with very constrained budgets, and to indicate the size and the scale of the main challenges in Italy;
2) some Italian cities and metropolitan areas have adopted climate change adaptation plans, even though preliminary and comprehensive adaptation costs are still not definitively integrated within these plans. The Table “Italian Cities”, annexed at the end of the report, reviews some of the existing experiences of adaptation plans in Italian cities. It reveals that strategies mainly aim to cope with floods and heat waves’ risks, particularly focusing on river management and land use policies. These strategies are also integrated in ordinary urban planning tools as well as civil protection activities and grassroots networks;
3) the Mediterranean area is a hotspot in terms of climate change. Settlements are at risk of severe consequences in the near future due to the effects of climate change, including the interruption of main urban functions. Genoa represents an emblematic case study for Mediterranean cities, as it is a crucial hub for road, railway and maritime infrastructure networks in Southern Europe and in the Mediterranean basin. It has been taken as example due to huge potential losses related to climate change impacts such as extreme rainfalls. The high monetary losses value − without considering intangible losses − as experienced in 1970 and the 2011, has shown that the inaction option, or Business As Usual (BUA) scenario, is unsuccessful. In fact, inaction could determine heavy damages, deeply undermining the expected outcomes of sustainable development;
4) damages occurred in 1970 and 2011 events have been high due to some vulnerability conditions characterizing the urban context of Genoa. Urbanization and related issues (such as urban sprawl, land take and soil sealing, abandonment of rural areas) contributed to exacerbate the effects of extreme events damages, by greatly modifying geomorphological conditions in face of inland flooding threat. These factors should be analysed also in the main RAMSES case studies, in order to define specific adaptation measures and, consequently, to address the main related costs. In detail, the review carried out on losses resulting from 1970 and 2011 events in Genoa reports the sectors in which specific adaptation measures are required. In detail, a part from improving ecosystem services (e.g. water absorption capacity of the soil to reduce run off), it is important to develop adaptation strategies even for infrastructures, with a focus on transport and services (gas and water pipelines). Despite the fact that they have been seriously damaged and that they have caused indirect impacts in other sectors (e.g. industries, commerce, etc.) Genoa has not yet adopted an adaptation plan. However, for the future, the city can take advantage to a considerable set of data collected by other initiatives and research projects, recently developed in terms of both mitigation and adaptation measures;
5) in the Italian context, climate change adaptation has still not been included in a
comprehensive framework/plan and does still not have a defined cost assessment.
However, a successful experience of an adaptation plan in an Italian urban area is the BLUE AP of Bologna. BLUE AP identifies the targeted areas on the basis of spatial, social and planning characteristics. The aim is to obtain homogeneous development strategies which are inspired by sustainability goals. For the prevention of river floods and heat waves and the conservation of biodiversity, main strategies aim at enhancing river infrastructures, creating green spaces within urban environment, and ensuring a more sustainable management of water resources.
to selected CMEF, direct and indirect indicators for each public good, in order to depict clearly the state-of-art of data requirements for RDP assessment at micro level. Thus, each method has been analysed in terms of types of data (primary and secondary), spatial aspects and temporal dimension, data processing, sensitivity, and consequences of data gaps. Section 5 will provide an overview of the key aspects of the data monitoring requirements of the candidate methods. Specifically, Subsection 5.1 assesses the outputs of Section 4 in tables that
compare the data requirements for the selected methods for each public good, with respect to data types, level of detail, spatial and temporal dimensions, data processing, applicability in case-study areas and micro/macro linkage. Subsection 5.2 scores the data requirement of Subsection 5.1, assigning four scores that ‘weight’ the data requirement. A discussion of the related findings and preliminary conclusions are provided in Subsection 5.3, while Section 6 highlights key aspects for the structure of the databases for the case studies from a micro-level
perspective. Generally, this report underlines the necessity to acquire more adequate data, database and data sources for the environmental evaluation of RDP at micro level. Microlevel data should be developed in a more consistent and standardised way, targeting an accurate data collection at farm level, in order to provide a detailed overview of the whole farming systems. An emerging question is related to the representativeness of the data collected at farm level. The complexity of active variables within the farming systems necessitates the establishment of a baseline common to European Member States. This complexity also restricts the possibility to assess very specific methodologies in order to
reduce uncertainty. Finding methods that ensure representativeness of data is crucial for the future challenges of the ENVIEVAL project.
related to their use, concerning both the fitness of indicators, models and methodologies for the expected outcomes, and the adoption of the most suitable scale for the analysis. Literature is debating on the effectiveness of indicators, models and methodologies in a comparative perspective, also attempting to discuss the need to find common methodologies able to standardise (for example, at EU level) the procedural sets and tools. The main questions are the multi-scale integration and combination of results and the possibility to efficiently generalise micro-scale results in a macro-scale perspective. Finally, for both challenges, fit-for-purpose data, datasets and data sources are required toward more appropriate and holistic analysis and evaluation. These challenges certainly represent the main
open questions for ENVIEVAL project and for its advancement in the next two years. Based on these statements, the objective of the paper is to review the methodologies for the assessment of environmental impacts of policy measures, with specific reference to Rural Development Programmes (RDPs). This assessment needs to be carried out at an appropriate scale able to represent the natural processes, both to support the analysis of multiple benefits and to include the potential for cumulative environmental impacts. Specifically, the review
focuses on the methodologies dealing with environmental impacts at micro level that should be able to explicitly link environmental impacts and policy measures through the beneficiaries of the policy. In this vein, the theoretical baseline is that a comprehensive assessment of the extent to which the multiple environmental goals have been achieved requires the application of more than a single methodology. The present review aims: (i) to explore the vast range of methodologies which may address some of the aforementioned challenges, and (ii) to contribute to develop a flexible and integrated methodological framework for the assessment of environmental impacts in RDPs. A general overview of environmental impact methodologies is presented, coupled with the challenges derived from the use of different analytical scales and levels. Main results are further summarised on the basis of a review of scientific papers with a micro-level perspective. Based on these results, combined with the early findings of the ENVIEVAL project related to the analysis of European evaluation reports (WP2) and to the interviews with stakeholders and evaluators (WP9), the paper explores the current application of microlevel methods in RDP evaluation. Then, it provides an analysis of scientific literature on the evaluation of environmental impacts of agri-environment measures, schemes and programmes across Europe and some international countries, describing the most relevant applied methodologies and stressing their strengths and weaknesses, the latter particularly representing a challenging issue for ENVIEVAL to deal with. Finally, the conclusion proposes the main recommendations for the future activities to advance the ENVIEVAL project.According to the research questions we can draft four preliminary conclusions. First: the lack of appropriate and specific data can undermine the results of the evaluation exercises. Furthermore, taking into account the current and past experience of RDP evaluations, the difficulties encountered by evaluators to use complex methodologies could weaken a good outcome from the evaluation process. Second: the most commonly adopted approaches are based on sampling methods and integrated models. Both have some advantages and disadvantages in terms of generalisation of the main related micro-scale findings to a different scale perspective. Third: the adoption of the aforementioned models will need specific datasets, for a vast range of socio-economic, environmental and institutional variables and long-term covering for comparative analysis. Fourth: one of the future challenges for the advancement of ENVIEVAL is represented by clearly understanding the relationship between micro and macro approaches within complex systems such as agro-ecosystems.
Accordingly, this special issue aims to add to the existing body of knowledge on the L’Aquila earthquake a socially-centred perspective able to investigate issues broadly related to impacts on, and response by, the socio-cultural systems and its functioning. Theoretical and methodological findings for disaster research are also welcome. The call aims to collect perspectives from, but not limited to, disaster studies, geography, anthropology, sociology, political ecology, environmental history, and urban studies.
Submissions on topics relating but not limited to;
Long-term reconstruction impacts
Politics and policy in disaster recovery
Political ecology of recovery
Culture, local knowledge and recovery
Social Vulnerability
Disaster governance
Emergency/recovery and socio-psychological aspects
Land-use and land-use conflicts
Space, place, and urban planning
Community and urban resilience
Social/spatial/environmental justice
Risk communication
Housing studies and political economy
Social movements and recovery
Folklore studies, religion and recovery
Methodological and epistemological issues in disaster research
Deadlines
Submission deadline; 31st December 2017
Expected Publication Date: December 2018
Submission Information
Special Issue submissions should be made through ScholarOne Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Registration and access is available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/dpm.
Accordingly, this special issue aims to add to the existing body of knowledge on the L’Aquila earthquake a socially-centred perspective able to investigate issues broadly related to impacts on, and response by, the socio-cultural systems and its functioning. Theoretical and methodological findings for disaster research are also welcome. The call aims to collect perspectives from, but not limited to, disaster studies, geography, anthropology, sociology, political ecology, environmental history, and urban studies.
Submissions on topics relating but not limited to;
Long-term reconstruction impacts
Politics and policy in disaster recovery
Political ecology of recovery
Culture, local knowledge and recovery
Social Vulnerability
Disaster governance
Emergency/recovery and socio-psychological aspects
Land-use and land-use conflicts
Space, place, and urban planning
Community and urban resilience
Social/spatial/environmental justice
Risk communication
Housing studies and political economy
Social movements and recovery
Folklore studies, religion and recovery
Methodological and epistemological issues in disaster research
Deadlines
Submission deadline; 31st December 2017
Expected Publication Date: December 2018
Submission Information
Special Issue submissions should be made through ScholarOne Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Registration and access is available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/dpm.
Deadline 15th February
This session aims to investigate the complexity of risk governance, focusing both on Italy -where the topic is still underexplored with limited impacts on places and on the scientific and public debate- and on international case studies. Although the session falls within geographical sciences, long missing into the risk governance debate, analysing risk governance requires international collaboration and share. The session therefore welcomes other academic disciplines, organizations and institutions interested in the topic, and associations or social groups aiming to share their experiences with academia. We propose to discuss the following topics, although others can be considered, such as industrial or environmental risk.
Restano, tuttavia, ancora escluse dal dibattito quelle variabili sociali e umane che intervengono in uno scenario di gestione del rischio e del disastro, in particolare in fenomeni drammatici, a larga scala e largamente percepiti come i terremoti.
Cercherò di chiarire perché un approccio esclusivamente tecnicistico, da un lato, non coglie tutto il novero delle variabili in gioco e, dall’altro, contribuisce a riprodurre narrative stantie sui classici stereotipi sull’Italia e gli italiani.
Affermo pertanto la necessità di raccontare il disastro da angolature differenti e molteplici, in grado di cogliere la diversità e la complessità della sfera sociale senza riduzionismi e banalizzazioni. Di seguito espongo alcune brevi riflessioni, forse ancora disordinate, su alcuni articoli internazionali apparsi online dopo il sisma del 24 agosto.
transformation and those protecting the interests of the powerful and wealthy. This group studies COVIDcapitalism around the world to understand whether social and economic justice are being served, or whether state and non-state actors are using the pandemic to consolidate control, to financially profit, and to protect systems of oppression. This Working Group has come together to study the phenomena of disaster capitalism (DC) in the context of
the COVID-19 pandemic—in essence an evolved phenomenon, COVID-capitalism. The priority research
topics below at times also connect to classic concerns of disaster capitalism outside of the pandemic window.
This is because we believe that many of the solutions to the ills of COVID-capitalism are structural, and require long-term, radical adjustments to all facets of society.
It is often assumed that disaster-hit areas return to normality or even 'build back better' thanks to the interventions of experts. Giuseppe Forino considers the complexities of disaster recovery and the sometimes radical changes in individual and collective behaviours that persist following such events.
Bringing together the impacts of natural hazards (including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic), this edited book will stimulate debate on policy and practice in disaster recovery.