Urban resilience assessment of Kandahar city, Afghanistan | |
| Author | Hayat, Athiqullah |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.UE-19-07 |
| Subject(s) | City planning--Afghanistan--Kandahar Urbanization--Afghanistan--Kandahar Sustainable urban development--Afghanistan--Kandahar |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Urban Environmental Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Due to the behaviour of complex systems such as cities in the face of stresses, strengthening resilience to mass displacement is becoming a more pressing concern. The concept of urban resilience is increasingly being used for the purpose to the ability of an urban system to anticipate, absorb and adapt to shocks and stresses and to respond in ways that preserve and restore its essential functions, structures and identity. The main objective of this study is to assess the resilience for Kandahar City. The study utilized a mixed approach, consisting of both primary and secondary information obtained through surveyed questionnaire with households and interviews with stakeholders in the study field. DPSIR was utilized as a tool for understanding the overall conditions and how the identified issues affect the performance of resilience as well as Stakeholders Analysis was also used in order to identify the views of authorities and stakeholders. After that, resilience to disasters was assessed through UNDISR framework with specific scores from zero to three chosen for each of different aspects. The results show that Kandahar City is not highly resilient to disasters such as flooding and drought. Some aspects such as poor urban governance, lack of institutional capacity and financial capacity are the weakest and most concerned areas. On the other hand, urban issues identified are highly critical and have significant impact on the performance of urban resilience. Lack of awareness, low income of people, and poor condition of infrastructures are strongly associated to and vulnerability to natural hazards. Thus, the study proposed strategies covering different aspects of low resilience and current condition that would potentially enhance the urban resilience. The research findings can be used by planners and policy makers as well as other cities having the similar characteristics. In addition, the study could be taken as source to start assessing urban resilience and for developing associated enhancing measures. |
| Year | 2019 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Environmental and Management (UE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Vilas Nitivattananon; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Kim, Sohee Minsun;Pal, Indrajit; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2019 |