Geology for Environmental and Urban Planning
In its Geology for Planning programme, ESCAP is working towards inducing decision makers to take geological factors into account, to improve the quality of land-use planning and reduce the effects of natural hazards posed by earthquakes, volcanism, ground subsidence and flooding. This is particularly urgent for the coastal lowlands of the region, habitat to an estimated 1.7 billion people, and even more so for the urban centres, most of which are located in the coastal zone. The programme strives to convince geologists to present their data in a user-friendly manner, readily understandable to the non-initiated. The resulting thematic maps may, e.g., show zones of different seismic risk levels, areas of adequate groundwater supply, safe sites for waste disposal, locations of natural constructon materials, even zones with calculated costs of construction per unit area, etc.
The Atlas of Urban Geology series contains the rationale as well as some case histories from Asia and the Pacific region. Some recent volumes are:
- Geological Aspects of Land-use Planning (Volume 8), and
- Manual on Environmental and Urban Geology of Fast-growing Cities (Volume 9)
Last Update:
1 March 2001