World risk report 2014: the city as a risk area

The report includes the WorldRiskIndex 2014 and furthermore has a focus on cities as risk areas. The WorldRiskIndex calculates the disaster risk for 171 countries. The risk analysis does not only examine how often and how severely a natural event (e.g. an earthquake) threatens the population, but also the vulnerability of a country's society. The WorldRiskReport takes a closer look at the connection between urbanisation and food security: rapid urbanisation means that by 2050 two thirds of the global population will be living in cities; however, by far not all cities are prepared for this kind of growth. Unless urban planning will play a central role in the future, fast growing cities will face the risk of expanding slums and informal settlements. And it is precisely those areas that are particularly exposed to natural dangers, for example the favelas located on the slopes of Rio de Janeiro. Especially the Philippines, Bangladesh but also Costa Rica and El Salvador are graded as areas of high risk.

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