Risk-related resettlement and relocation in urban areas

The document argues that while resettlement and relocation can reduce hazard exposure, they often leave populations worse off socially and economically. It recommends that such measures be a last resort, preceded by exhaustive exploration of on-site upgrading and consensus-building with affected communities. The text highlights the risk of forced evictions under the guise of safety and calls for strengthened legal frameworks and adherence to international covenants to protect the rights of low-income urban populations.

• Resettlement and relocation may decrease exposure to hazards, but typically result in a net decline in the social and economic well-being of the affected populations.
• Resettlement should only be implemented as a final option after all possibilities for on-site upgrading or mitigation have been fully explored, noting that authorities and local communities often perceive risk differently.
• Effective land-use planning is essential to prevent the establishment of new settlements in hazard-prone areas, thereby eliminating the future necessity for resettlement.
• There is a risk that hazard exposure is used as a justification for forced evictions and the destruction of property, particularly in slums in India and certain Latin American countries, necessitating stronger legal frameworks and the honoring of international covenants.

APA

Jain, G., Johnson, C., Lavell, A., Lwasa, S., Oliver-Smith, A., & Wilkinson, E. (2017). Risk-related resettlement and relocation in urban areas. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Risk-related-resettlement-CDKN.pdf

Chicago

Jain, Garima, Cassidy Johnson, Allan Lavell, Shuaib Lwasa, Anthony Oliver-Smith, and Emily Wilkinson. Risk-related resettlement and relocation in urban areas. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Risk-related-resettlement-CDKN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jain |first1=Garima |last2=Johnson |first2=Cassidy |last3=Lavell |first3=Allan |last4=Lwasa |first4=Shuaib |last5=Oliver-Smith |first5=Anthony |last6=Wilkinson |first6=Emily |title=Risk-related resettlement and relocation in urban areas |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Risk-related-resettlement-CDKN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jain2017riskrelated, author = {Jain, Garima and Johnson, Cassidy and Lavell, Allan and Lwasa, Shuaib and Oliver-Smith, Anthony and Wilkinson, Emily}, title = {{Risk-related resettlement and relocation in urban areas}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Risk-related-resettlement-CDKN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }