Coexisting with the risk: Enhancing Urban Resilience development by bridging top-down and bottom-up Disaster Risk Reduction approaches

Abstract

El Perú se enfrenta a peligros naturales imprevisibles y repetitivos que se convierten en desastres cuando comunidades vulnerables están expuestas a ellos. El incontrolable crecimiento urbano incrementó los impactos del riesgo de desastres. En el distrito de Chosica, los asentamientos informales localizados en quebradas tienen que coexistir con recurrentes huaycos e inundaciones intensificadas por el fenómeno del Niño. El asentamiento Nicolás de Piérola, ubicado en la quebrada del Quirio, es la comunidad más poblada de Chosica expuesta a eventos repetitivos y extremos de huaycos. Sin embargo, las medidas descendentes y ascendentes implementadas no han producido un progreso sustancial durante los años, ya que se centran en las respuestas de emergencia. Con el apoyo de los datos cualitativos de informes anteriores, entrevistas semiestructuradas, encuestas, un taller y la observación del trabajo de campo, se identifican la amenaza, la exposición y las vulnerabilidades del asentamiento en una cadena de impacto del riesgo. Posteriormente, se analizan la gestión local del riesgo, acciones y percepciones del riesgo para identificar las brechas entre las vulnerabilidades y las medidas. Por último, se ofrecen recomendaciones basadas en las capacidades locales de adaptación, los conocimientos y los recursos para mejorar la Resiliencia Urbana.

Peru is a country faced with unpredictable and repetitive natural hazards, which turns into disasters when vulnerable societies are exposed to them. The uncontrollable urban growth incremented the disaster risk impacts since families squatted hazard-prone areas. In Chosica district, informal settlements established in ravines have to coexist with recurrent debris flows and floods intensified by the ENSO phenomenon. Despite the several attempts to accomplish urban resilience, the actions that are being implemented are not achieving its full potential as the local community is not integrated or engaged enough along with the processes of disaster risk reduction. If the exposure of settlements is eliminated, then negative consequences after a hazard has stroked would not exist. However, in a high-density city where most of the affordable and safe land is occupied, or relocation measures are not feasible for all communities, there is a need for an alternative approach which allows informal settlements to coexist with the risks that they are inevitably prone to. Nicolas de Pierola human settlement located in Quirio ravine is the most populated community in Chosica, which has faced repetitive and extreme debris flow events. Nonetheless, the implemented top-down and bottom-up measures have not produced substantial progress during the years since they are focused on emergency responses. Supported by qualitative data from previous reports, semi-structured interviews, surveys, a workshop, and fieldwork observation, the hazard, exposure, and vulnerabilities of the settlement are framed under the impact chain of risk. Later, local risk management, actions, and risk perceptions are analyzed to identify the gaps between vulnerabilities and measures. Finally, recommendations are provided based on adaptive local capacities, knowledge, and resources to enhance urban resilience.