FLOOD03743

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: 25th Annual Celebration Hazards Research and Applications Workshop
• Date: 7/9/2000
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

PPOO-20

Michele Steinberg e
Institute for Business & Home Safety
175 Federal Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02110-2222
[phone] x218

Land Use Planning and Hazard Resistant Communities

I) What are the most promising ways to promote the concepts of "sustainable communities" and "hazard
resistant communities" in community land use planning and development management? The Institute for
Business & Home Safety (mIlS) believes that the work of municipal planners is critical to the health and
future of communities, including how well cities, towns and counties will be able to withstand and
recover from the next disaster. That is why it's directing its efforts at raising hazard loss reduction
awareness within the professional planning and development communities using a new survey tool.
mHS developed the Community Land Use Evaluation (CLUE) for Natural Hazards to help community
planners think about how comprehensive and land use plans can incorporate natura] hazard loss
reduction actions. The CLUE survey form will be used this year to develop a better baseline of
information on how many communities are planning for hazards, and what other kinds of tools might be
needed to help them become more hazard resistant. As data is gathered, the CLUE form will be used to
allow communities to compare their local planning practices with others and share successful strategies.

2) How can land use planning address social justice and equity issues in the course of sustainable .
community development? In the mHS pilot Showcase State for Natural Disaster Resistance and
Resilience in Rhode Island, partners are working to develop improved data on vulnerable populations,
environmental resources and economic factors that could be affected in a disaster. The NOAA Coastal
Services Center's new Community Vulnerability Assessment Tool represents an important step in
addressing the fate of vulnerable populations in disasters, whether the populations are low-income,
minority, elderly, or otherwise more exposed to long-term suffering from the effects of natural hazards.
Rhode Island Showcase State activities include transmitting this data to state and local planners who can
use it to make more informed decisions in community development.

Recently, the Rhode Island Showcase State partners have expanded to include contributions from the
Corporation for National Service, the umbrella organization directing AmeriCorps'VIST A members.
Their focus on low-income populations helps to address social justice and equity issues in disaster
preparedness and mitigation.

IBHS is always developing new partnerships to promote our mission of natural disaster loss reduction. A
future official link to the Smart Growth movement seems likely. Grow Smart Rhode Island has brought
together private and public partners around the issue of sprawl, whtch "threatens existing natural and
cultura] resources. The flip side of sprawl, as seen by Rhode Islanders, is urban decay. Recent efforts to
bolster reinvestment in the urban core cities in Rhode Island helps development occur more equitably,
providing social benefits to inner city neighborhoods, and can help avoid future development in marginal
(and often hazard-prone) areas.

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