Suchergebnisse

Abstract. Greenspaces within broader ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction
(Eco-DRR) strategies provide multiple benefits to society, biodiversity, and
addressing climate breakdown. In this study, we investigated urban growth,
its intersection with hazards, and the availability of greenspace for
disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the city of Quito, Ecuador, which
experiences multiple hazards including landslides, floods, volcanoes, and
earthquakes. We used satellite data to quantify urban sprawl and developed a
workflow incorporating high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) to
identify potential greenspaces for emergency refuge accommodation (DRR
greenspace), for example, following an earthquake. Quito's historical urban
growth totalled ∼ 192 km2 for 1986–2020 and was primarily on
flatter land, in some cases crossed by steep ravines. By contrast, future
projections indicate an increasing intersection between easterly
urbanisation and steep areas of high landslide susceptibility. Therefore, a
timely opportunity exists for future risk-informed planning. Our workflow
identified 18.6 km2 of DRR greenspaces, of which 16.3 km2
intersected with potential sources of landslide and flood hazards,
indicating that hazard events could impact potential "safe spaces". These
spaces could mitigate future risk if designated as greenspaces and left
undeveloped. DRR greenspace overlapped 7 % (2.5 km2) with
municipality-designated greenspace. Similarly, 10 % (1.7 km2) of
municipality-designated "safe space" for use following an earthquake was
classified as potentially DRR suitable in our analysis. For emergency
refuge, currently designated greenspaces could accommodate ∼ 2 %–14 % (depending on space requirements) of Quito's population within 800 m. This increases to 8 %–40 % considering all the potential DRR greenspace
mapped in this study. Therefore, a gap exists between the provision of DRR
and designated greenspace. Within Quito, we found a disparity between access
to greenspaces across socio-economic groups, with lower income groups having
less access and further to travel to designated greenspaces. Notably, the
accessibility of greenspaces was high overall with 98 % (2.3 million) of
Quito's population within 800 m of a designated greenspace, of which 88 %
(2.1 million) had access to potential DRR greenspaces. Our workflow
demonstrates a citywide evaluation of DRR greenspace potential and provides
the foundation upon which to evaluate these spaces with local stakeholders.
Promoting equitable access to greenspaces, communicating their multiple
benefits, and considering their use to restrict propagating development into
hazardous areas are key themes that emerge for further investigation.