chapter 4 - DRK

Strictly under embargo until Wednesday 22 September at 00:01 GMT (02:01 Geneva time)Support slum and squatter upgrading. Where large numbers of people live in poorqualityhousing in informal settlements, improving housing and getting basic infrastructurein place is a priority for adaptation. However, it is important to make sure that these newhouses and infrastructure are constructed in such a way that they can withstand likely futurechanges in climate. In association with this, it is important to address related social issues:people and communities who are healthier, better educated and with secure tenure are moreable to deal effectively with a wide range of shocks and stresses, including one-off extremeevents and climate change. Ongoing action to improve the provision of public services canprovide households with a firmer base from which to face the challenges of climate change.Urban planning, management and governance are all now firmly on the IPCC agenda.Rainfall totals forNovember 2009in Ireland were thehighest on record,and large parts ofthe city of Cork andsurrounding areaswere flooded whenthe River Lee burstits banks.© The Irish ExaminerReconsider zoning, planning and building regulations. Zoning and planning controlshave often served to exclude a large proportion of the urban population in lowandmiddle-income nations from legal land markets. The identification of ‘vulnerable’land in preparing for climate change should not be used in the same way. Instead, thesecontrols can be used to help provide appropriate and safe locations for low-incomehouseholds while reducing their exposure to the risks of flooding, slope failure andother disasters. The application of building standards that are appropriate to local contexts,including affordability, and used in ways that support incremental improvementscan make housing resistant to extreme weather, while still enabling poor residents livingin self-built or artisan-built constructions to upgrade at an appropriate pace and cost.128