Closing of Risk Workshop Marks Milestone for Tomorrow’s Cities Project
The Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction Center at An-Najah National University organized a workshop titled "Risk Consensus," marking a pivotal event within the fourth phase of the ongoing Tomorrow’s Cities Project launched since May of the preceding year. The project, which has been ongoing for several months, focuses on strategically planning urban expansion to mitigate potential disaster risks. It involves diverse stakeholders, including youth, women, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and local authorities, with the overarching goal of developing policies that ensure the well-being of future generations in Palestine. This workshop served as a significant platform for stakeholders to converge on strategies for effectively managing and mitigating disaster risks within the framework of urban development.
Dr. Jamal Dabbeek, leader of the Palestinian Tomorrow’s Cities Project team, and researcher Karim Aljawhari recently attended a workshop titled "Agreeing on Potential Risk Nature" in Nairobi, Kenya, alongside the international team of the global Tomorrow’s Cities program. The workshop focused on assessing acceptable risk levels in potential disaster scenarios. Prior to this, a training course was conducted for the technical team involved in the workshop, with representatives from community groups engaged in the project since its inception.
The workshop spanned two days, serving as a pivotal link between preceding and forthcoming phases of the project. In its inaugural session, Dr. Jamal Dabbeek and Engineer Karim Aljawhari delivered a comprehensive overview of the accomplishments achieved within the Tomorrow’s Cities Project thus far. Their presentation encapsulated insights gleaned from prior workshops, introduced the current workshop's objectives and operational framework, and set the stage for further discussions. Additionally, Prof. Jalal Dabbeek provided an introductory discourse on disaster risk, elucidated the intricate relationship between risk mitigation and management. He delineated strategies for implementing resilience-building initiatives, outlined the sequential process of disaster risk management planning, and elucidated methodologies for assessing risk levels through hazard and vulnerability matrices, supplemented by practical examples.
On the first day of the workshop, participants delved into the functionalities and resources of the electronic risk platform. This platform offers interactive calculation and visualization of potential disaster damage indicators. It includes high-precision maps of seismic activities, landslides, and floods, alongside insights into building uses, construction materials, structural characteristics, and socioeconomic factors. This comprehensive data allows for a detailed analysis of vulnerability, considering factors such as building materials, structural design, and location. Moreover, the platform provides an intricate breakdown of potential damage and disaster repercussions, including disruptions in work and education, limited access to essential services like healthcare and education, housing destruction, displacement, injuries, fatalities, and other significant impacts.
Concluding the first day, participants engaged in discussions regarding the potential impact of disasters in Palestine. Factors contributing to heightened losses and damages in certain regions were examined, with attention given to measures that individuals, experts, and officials should undertake to mitigate risks and reduce resultant losses.
On day two, participants addressed challenges to proposed disaster risk mitigation measures, focusing on societal impacts. They collaborated to devise solutions, highlighting key challenges, priority areas, and implementation timelines. The day concluded with groups sharing their findings and insights for collective learning.
The workshop concluded with Prof. Jalal Dabbeek, Director of the Center and the Project of Tomorrow’s Cities, summarizing recent efforts, including a briefing workshop attended by officials and decision-makers to update them on project achievements and gather societal input on Nablus' future. In addition, feedback on implementation mechanisms and overcoming obstacles was also sought. Prof. Dabbeek highlighted the feasibility of certain actions, emphasizing their potential for gradual implementation despite economic or political constraints. The outcomes will be presented to decision-makers for further consideration and adoption.
By mid-2023, Nablus had achieved a significant milestone by joining the Tomorrow’s Cities framework as the foremost Arab city and the fifth globally. This recognition came after a meticulous evaluation process by an international panel, ensuring compliance with various criteria such as urban risk management, urban planning strategies, marginalized community considerations, and the development of a comprehensive strategic plan.
Nablus has completed four of the five project phases, known as "work packages." These packages include activities like team capacity building, mapping, and risk modeling. Each phase builds upon the previous one, addressing aspects like population visions, map refinement, risk assessment, and stakeholder briefings.
The current phase of the Tomorrow’s Cities Project is scheduled to conclude in the first half of 2024. It encompasses a series of operations and future scenarios to reduce disaster risks, translated into maps, policies, and procedures. The project's ultimate deliverable will serve as an authentic, replicable methodology for planning the expansion of any residential cluster in Palestine on remaining undeveloped lands. An-Najah National University aims to lead the transfer of Nablus project's expertise to other Palestinian cities and beyond, extending to Arab cities globally.
