Nationally agreed principles for good practice in land use planning to build disaster-resilient communities have been laid out in a new handbook for local government planners.
Compiled by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR), the handbook establishes community wellbeing and disaster resilience as the overarching aim of land use planning, and presents a procedural and decision-making framework applicable at different levels of land use planning.
The total economic cost of disasters associated with natural hazards over the past 10 years to 2018 averaged $18.2 billion annually.
As well as laying down 12 principles for land use planning for disaster resilient communities, the handbook provides background information about key concepts such as vulnerability, exposure and risk, and focuses on how planning for new developments can be done collaboratively.
Land Use Planning for Disaster Resilient Communities is intended to guide and assist stakeholders (including developers and the public) to build capability in and understanding of land use planning’s role in natural hazard risk management.
It contains examples of some of the processes and assessment tools used in developing and reviewing spatial plans as well as a study of how overlays and land acquisitions helped resolve historically unsuitable development on flood-prone land in Victoria’s East Gippsland.
Hard copies of handbook are also available to order via the AIDR shop.