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Megacities as Global Risk Areas

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Urban Ecology

Abstract

In the last few decades a striking world-wide trend towards rising fatalities and economic losses due to natural and man-made hazards can be observed. One major influencing factor is growing urbanization, megacities being particularly prone to supply crises, social disorganisation, political conflicts and natural disasters. They can be both victims and producers of risks. This article concentrates on major risks and gives examples of a) environmental hazards (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, storms, floods, droughts and heat waves, snowfall, frost and avalanches as well as global sea-level rise). Furthermore b) man-made hazards such as air, water and soil pollution, accidents, fires, industrial explosions, sinking land levels, diseases and epidemics, socio-economic crises, civil riots and terror attacks, nuclear accidents as well as war, germ and nuclear warfare are addressed. Finally, the most remarkable deficits in research are summarized, as well as future tasks.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany

    Frauke Kraas

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  1. Frauke Kraas
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  1. University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195

    John M. Marzluff , Gordon Bradley  & Clare Ryan ,  & 

  2. University of Washington, 3912 NE 127th Street, Seattle, WA 98125

    Eric Shulenberger

  3. Geographisches Institute, Humboldt University Unter den Linden, 10099 Berlin, Germany

    Wilfried Endlicher

  4. University of Washington, Box 355740, Seattle, WA 98195

    Marina Alberti

  5. Humboldt University Miningstrasse 46, 12359 Berlin, Germany

    Ute Simon

  6. University of Washington, Box 355740, Seattle, WA 98195

    Craig ZumBrunnen

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Kraas, F. (2008). Megacities as Global Risk Areas. In: Marzluff, J.M., et al. Urban Ecology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73412-5_38

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