Van Niekerk, Cornelia W2013-03-252013-03-252013-03Van Niekerk, W. 2013. Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa: Challenges and champions. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, vol. 5(1), doi: 10.4102/jamba.v5i1.531996-1421http://www.jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/53http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6599Copyright: 2013 The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Open Access refers to free and unrestricted access via the Internet to articles published in Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. This free access has usage limitations as stipulated in the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) usage license. The license allows redistribution and reuse of all articles on the condition that Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies is appropriately credited.It is highly likely that hazards and extreme climatic events will occur more frequently in the future and will become more severe – increasing the vulnerability and risk of millions of poor urbanites in developing countries. Disaster resilience aims to reduce disaster losses by equipping cities to withstand, absorb, adapt to or recover from external shocks. This paper questions whether disaster resilience is likely to be taken up in spatial planning practices in South Africa, given its immediate developmental priorities and challenges. In South Africa, issues of development take precedence over issues of sustainability, environmental management and disaster reduction. This is illustrated by the priority given to ‘servicing’ settlements compared to the opportunities offered by ‘transforming’ spaces through postapartheid spatial planning. The City of Durban’s quest in adapting to climate change demonstrates hypothetically that if disaster resilience were to be presented as an issue distinct from what urban planners are already doing, then planners would see it as insignificant as compared to addressing the many developmental backlogs and challenges. If, however, it is regarded as a means to secure a city’s development path whilst simultaneously addressing sustainability, then disaster resilience is more likely to be translated into spatial planning practices in South Africa.enClimatic disastersSpatial planningSouth African spatial planningArticleVan Niekerk, C. W. (2013). Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa: Challenges and champions. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6599Van Niekerk, Cornelia W "Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa: Challenges and champions." (2013) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6599Van Niekerk CW. Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa: Challenges and champions. 2013; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6599.TY - Article AU - Van Niekerk, Cornelia W AB - It is highly likely that hazards and extreme climatic events will occur more frequently in the future and will become more severe – increasing the vulnerability and risk of millions of poor urbanites in developing countries. Disaster resilience aims to reduce disaster losses by equipping cities to withstand, absorb, adapt to or recover from external shocks. This paper questions whether disaster resilience is likely to be taken up in spatial planning practices in South Africa, given its immediate developmental priorities and challenges. In South Africa, issues of development take precedence over issues of sustainability, environmental management and disaster reduction. This is illustrated by the priority given to ‘servicing’ settlements compared to the opportunities offered by ‘transforming’ spaces through postapartheid spatial planning. The City of Durban’s quest in adapting to climate change demonstrates hypothetically that if disaster resilience were to be presented as an issue distinct from what urban planners are already doing, then planners would see it as insignificant as compared to addressing the many developmental backlogs and challenges. If, however, it is regarded as a means to secure a city’s development path whilst simultaneously addressing sustainability, then disaster resilience is more likely to be translated into spatial planning practices in South Africa. DA - 2013-03 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR KW - Climatic disasters KW - Spatial planning KW - South African spatial planning LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2013 SM - 1996-1421 T1 - Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa: Challenges and champions TI - Translating disaster resilience into spatial planning practice in South Africa: Challenges and champions UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6599 ER -