Identifying the operational framework of resilient cities and settlements in Nepal

Resilience is frequently used word in the field of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM). It is a much broader concept that goes beyond disaster resilience. It ought to be a unifying concept which requires to harmonize all forms of hazards and disturbances whether that are natural, environmental, social, and economic. Communities prepared for natural hazards but neglected for climate change, pandemic, social-political conflicts, and economic decline cannot be sustainable. The incidence of hazards is consistently revealing that hazards occur in conjunction and have diverse impacts. Resilient cities and settlements are therefore required to have the capacity to confront, adapt, and also flourish in the aftermath of all potential disturbances. However, adequate understanding in defining parameters of resilient city and settlements still lags. This limitation tends to constrain internalization of the resilience concept in urban planning and development. This research paper intends to enrich understanding on the concept of resilient city and settlements—especially on questions of what and how. It reviews relevant national policies and refers to pertinent international publications. This paper takes a systematic reflection of a city which is broadly conceived in terms of its functions and functionality—leading to identification of relevant components and potential measures. The potential resilience measures include: i) People’s entitlement and institutional capacity, ii) Governance, iii) Urban planning and regulatory enforcement, iv) Infrastructure investment and management, and v) Application of technologies. To augment this theoretical proposition, it assesses national government’s major investment programs related to urbanization and housing. This programmatic assessment enables to know the adequacy of these programs from the resilience lens and also allows to see the adequacy of resilience measures as an assessment framework. The research paper finally proposes a conceptual framework on resilient cities and settlements, and recommends relevant operational policies for their institutionalization.