Evaluation of municipal strategic plans in Türkiye from the perspective of disaster risk management, obstacles and recommendations

Abstract

Disasters, which profoundly affect social life, are catastrophes that have caused loss of life and property throughout human history. Today, factors such as population growth, urbanization, and global climate change are making the effects of disasters even more devastating. Therefore, municipalities, as the institutions closest to people, must build a disaster-resilient life through their work. Municipalities, which have various tasks related to disaster management, from risk analysis to planning and coordination, include the work they will carry out in their strategic plans to fulfill these tasks. The aim of this study is to examine the strategic plans of municipalities in Türkiye, to determine the current state of disaster risk management, to identify the factors preventing the prioritization of risk and damage reduction, and to develop solutions. Accordingly, the strategic plans of all metropolitan and provincial municipalities that have prepared strategic plans were first evaluated using document review technique. Based on the findings, semi-structured interviews were conducted with municipal personnel and academics using prepared interview questions. The interview data were subjected to computer-assisted data analysis, and findings were presented under three themes. As a result of the study; While there is an awareness of risk management approaches in municipalities, an examination of the distribution of disaster risk management reveals that preparedness activities occupy a larger space than risk and damage reduction activities. The most significant obstacles contributing to this situation include a shortage of expert personnel, high costs, differing political priorities, lack of institutional coordination, municipal resource deficiencies, legislative issues, and insufficient public awareness. To address these issues, recommendations include strengthening resources, improving institutional capacity, reforming legislation, and increasing public awareness.