Form Submission: Participation Entry

Uttarakhand, India is a dynamic region frequently exposed to natural hazards and is experiencing rapid urbanization, but the interaction between the increase in people and the built environment and vulnerability to natural hazards has not been examined. We model the relationship between urbanization and hazards for three cities in the region, Almora, Nainital and Champawat, using a social vulnerability framework. We apply the framework by using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to identify Social Vulnerability indicators and Built Environment Vulnerability indicators. The results show that increased access to capital decreases vulnerability and larger households are less vulnerable. We also find that the presence of a bathroom and higher structural quality are associated with lower vulnerability. Bathroom presence is more frequent in cities than the surrounding areas and structural quality was mixed within cities. Access to capital is higher in the cities than surrounding areas, but household size is mixed in cities.