Site Planning for Disaster Mitigation Guidebook

This post was originally published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This project provides guidance on the role of site planning in disaster mitigation by detailing processes of preserving and creating more sustainable, hazard-resilient communities. The guidebook provides a comprehensive, modern approach to site planning, including new and innovative technologies and planning methods with a focus on employing strategies in rapidly urbanizing counties and cities. The project was informed by a nationwide expert panel, comprising professionals, academics, and industry leaders in fields such as urban planning, architecture, engineering, disaster management and response, and housing design. The panel met three times during 2021 and 2022 and participated actively in design of the guidebook. The types of natural hazards covered are flooding (both coastal and inland), strong wind, heat and drought, wildfire, landslides, earthquakes, and tsunamis. The guidebook approaches hazard mitigation by understanding the drivers and interactions of hazards, basics of site planning, the practice of site analysis, and hazard mitigation approaches, including approaches that integrate people-friendly design principles.