Landslide Hazards and Planning

1
Landslide Hazards and Planning

• An approach adopted
• for the APA--USGS Project

2
Landslide as a planning issue

• Mostly dealt as a zoning or site plan issue
• Slope, grading
• Soil (shrink-swell, erosion, etc.)
• Land subsidence, sinkholes
• Erosion control (flooding, pollution, etc.)
• Hillside development (subdiv and site plan)
• Building codes
• Disaster resistant, mitigation (hard solutions),
  reconstruction, etc.

3
Landslide as a disaster issue

• Covered as part of disaster mitigation plans when
  landslides occur in conjunction with
• Earthquakes
• Hurricanes
• Flooding, etc.
• Covered as part of post-disaster plans for
  recovery and reconstruction if landslides were
  part of the disaster event

4
What is not being done?

• Addressing all types of landslides
• Most landslides are not large (despite the
  examples one commonly sees)
• Avoiding growth in landslide prone areas
• Current land consumption rates indicate growth
  areas in hitherto unstable or questionable
  terrain
• Recognizing societal costs of taking risks
• Disruption of services, relief, loss of life, etc.

5
Landslide risk from a planning perspective

• Risk Identification ? reduce risk
• Surveys, maps, plans, regulations, monitoring
  programs, etc.
• Risk Education ? minimize risky behavior
• Develop policies, adopt BMPs, provide training,
  encourage participation, etc.
• Risk Transfer ? spread the burden
• Insurance, disaster relief, public buyout
  programs of risky or damaged properties

6
Defining the problem

• Hazard areas as a development constraint in
• Land-use allocations (avoid exposing vulnerable
  populations residential, mass assembly)
• Land-use compatibility (match hazard to risk
  aversion essential facilities, location of
  lifelines)
• CIP and public investment strategy (mainly
  utilities and infrastructure)
• Disaster and risk management strategy (mainly
  response and recoveryrebuilding)
• In short, prevention is better than cure

7
Focus areas

• Comprehensive planning
• Illustrate where in the planning process
  landslide risks can be incorporated
• Highlight role planners play in relation to other
  players and stakeholders (public participation)
• Role of geologic and scientific information at
  this stage
• Relationship to other plan elements
• Policy alternatives

8
Focus areas.

• Zoning (annotated zoning code)
• permitted uses, hillside/slope ordinances, etc.
• Development guidelines
• Other tools
• Land rights (easements, dedications, etc.)
• Site dev (erosion control, landscaping, etc.)
• Disclosure, insurance, etc.
• Project review processes

9
Approach

• Case studies
• Working papers
• Guidebook
• Training sessions at conferences
• CD-ROM/Website and other info places
• University-level curriculum

10
What are we not covering?

• Specialized GIS tools (vendors are willing to
  develop analytical tools as they did for other
  topics)
• Test or models of implementation (planners can
  greatly benefit by examples)
• Self-learning tools (video or instructional
  CD-ROM as APA did for Central America)
• An inquiry answering service

11
Further Information

• http//www.planning.org/Landslides
• Contact
• Principal Investigator, Landslides Project
• American Planning Association
• 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600
• Chicago, Illinois, 60603
• 312-431-9100