Abstract

Urban planning and disaster management are two different fields of study. The former is based on the principles of land use planning and management while the latter deals with elimination or reduction of risk and mitigation of disaster impacts. Proffering solutions to challenges posed by disasters requires multidisciplinary approaches and actions to which urban planning is significant. Meanwhile, the way at which emergency experts allied built professionals and the public perceive urban planning profession and practice still falls within its traditional principles and practices. The essence of urban planning in disaster management has much been downplayed in Nigeria. This paper however serves the purpose of emphasising the importance of urban planning to disaster management and the links between them as established in literature. It provides explanations on the existence of the legislation that spells out the participation of urban planning professionals in disaster management in Nigeria. It further explained the challenges with the statutory framework in ensuring efficient and effective collaboration between the two fields or professions.

Keywords

physical planning, town planning, disaster risk management, disaster resilience, urban planning law