SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 1: No Poverty | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Ministry of Home Affairs | National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
The OECD/UN-Habitat Policy Brief titled ‘Building resilience through disaster risk management in intermediary cities’ emphasizes that as natural disasters grow in frequency and intensity, intermediary cities—urban areas that serve as vital links between rural clusters and primary metros—have become the new frontline for disaster risk management (DRM). While global attention often focuses on megacities, intermediary cities in developing countries face the most acute challenges due to rapid urbanization, limited fiscal space, and critical infrastructure gaps.
The brief outlines a strategic shift from reactive recovery to risk-informed action:
Infrastructure Resilience: Moving beyond standard construction to “quality infrastructure” that is planned, operated, and maintained to withstand extreme weather events.
Local Governance & Planning: Strengthening the capacity of local governments to integrate risk awareness across all sectors, from land-use planning to social service delivery.
Community Engagement: Emphasizing that effective DRM requires the active participation of local communities to ensure that early warning systems and evacuation protocols are culturally and logistically appropriate.
Technology & Innovation: Encouraging the use of modern technology, such as satellite mapping and AI-driven flood modeling, to provide intermediary cities with the same level of predictive capability as primary cities.
What is ‘Risk-Informed Action’ in intermediary cities? It is a planning paradigm where disaster risk is not treated as an isolated emergency response issue but is embedded into every stage of urban development. For a medium-sized city, this means using climate data to decide where to build new schools (land-use), how to design water systems to prevent urban flooding (infrastructure), and how to mobilize resources during “blue-sky” days to ensure financial readiness for “grey-sky” events.
Policy Relevance
For India, this brief is highly pertinent to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Smart Cities Mission, particularly as climate-induced flooding and heatwaves increasingly disrupt Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Strategic Impact for India:
Empowering ULBs: The brief supports the 15th Finance Commission’s focus on strengthening Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), providing a roadmap to move from mere “relief distribution” to long-term “resilience building”.
Investment at Scale: It calls on development partners to mobilize resources specifically for intermediary cities, aligning with India’s need for climate-resilient funding for the Amrut 2.0 and Housing for All schemes.
Standardizing Quality: By adopting global standards for “resilient infrastructure,” India can reduce the long-term fiscal burden of repeated post-disaster reconstruction.
Inclusive DRM: The focus on LDCs and developing nations highlights the importance of protecting vulnerable urban migrants in India who often reside in high-risk, informal settlements within intermediary cities.
Follow the full report here: Building resilience through disaster risk management in intermediary cities