Shifting ground

Landslide risk mitigation through community-based landscape interventions

authored by

Joseph Claghorn, Christian Werthmann

Abstract

Thousands of inhabitants in marginal communities die in landslides every year. Rapid urbanization in mountainous areas, combined with heavier rains associated with climate change, is leading to an increase in fatal landslide events. Landscape architects trained to analyze and intervene in situations with complex natural and social territorial dynamics are in a position to make positive contributions to managing risk in such situations. An ongoing collaboration between landscape architects from Germany and urbanists in Medellín, Colombia, is carrying out a research and implementation proposal to anticipate and mitigate risk in low-income settlements on Medellín's mountainous urban periphery. Aftera first phase examining the problem on the metropolitan scale and a second phase examining two specific neighbourhoods, they have proposed five pilot projects to test strategies of risk alleviation through monitoring and early warning systems, drainage improvements, micro-farming, slope forestation, and through developing sites with supplied services.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Landscape Architecture

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of Landscape Architecture

Volume

10

Pages

6-15

No. of pages

10

ISSN

1862-6033

Publication date

16.02.2015

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1080/18626033.2015.1011419 (Access: Closed)
https://doi.org/10.1080/18626033.2015.1011419 (Access: Unknown)