Decision support for integrating disaster risk management strategies into construction practice

Threats to society and the built environment are diverse and include extreme natural and human induced hazards. Hazards such as floods, storms and terrorist attacks may not only threaten the lives of many people but can result in disasters that threaten economies and long-term development. Consequently, the UK government has recognised the importance of promoting the resilience agenda. Within this agenda there is growing acceptance that professionals involved with the construction industry need to understand the principles of, and become more engaged in, Disaster Risk Management (DRM). The outputs from a three year project, that has utilised a pluralistic methodology, are presented in the form of a decision support framework (DSF). The DSF will assist key stakeholders to integrate DRM strategies into the planning, design, operation and maintenance of the built environment. The central component of the DSF is 'Pre-Empt for Projects' - which assists key stakeholders (in the earliest design phase) to: identify a range of threats; assess the implications of any identified threats; and undertake mitigative adaptations if necessary.