ABSTRACT
The Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand acclaimed for its pilgrimage sites and touristic destinations; has also been distinguished as a climate-sensitive and multi-hazard prone region. The proliferating development in such fragile locations has intensified the vulnerability to disasters. In 2020, the state government announced “Gairsain” as its summer capital; a hill town that lies in Chamoli district. Acknowledging the high-risk profile of the district that encountered frequent disasters like the earthquake in 1999, Kedarnath cloudburst in 2013, Rishiganga avalanche outburst in 2021; it becomes a formidable task to plan a new settlement or greenfield development in the hilly region. Hence, assessment of the anticipated intensity and vulnerability of development in Gairsain needs to be predetermined.
Architects, urban planners & policymakers play a vital role in shaping the community, and based on the impending challenges, the responsibility escalates to plan a built environment on hilly terrain that comprehends the vulnerability and risk reduction aspects. At present, the lack of a sustained approach to incorporate DM in the planning process and the absence of Master plan documents for most of the towns in Uttarakhand has led to a distressing state of affairs. Therefore, development tools like risk-based land- use planning, zoning regulations, GIS imagery, remote sensing, and hazard mapping can assist in fabricating resilience in a susceptible greenfield settlement. The paper aims at analyzing the multid imensional aspects of urban planning in reducing the risks of disasters in Gairsain town. The research grants an opportunity to envisage and emend the resilient planning, infrastructure priorities, capacity building, challenges of local government, and policymaking for managing urban risks. The paper concludes that lacunae in planning practices can only be filled by appropriate initiatives and preventive strategies that can ameliorate the present condition and concede with the suitable traditional approaches used in past.
