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Sustainable Disaster Management: Theory and Practice

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1633

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: sustainable construction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Disasters, whether natural or human-induced, have the potential to cause widespread destruction, loss of life, and long-term disruptions to social, economic, and environmental systems. In recent decades, the frequency and intensity of disasters have been on the rise, exacerbated by factors such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation. As a result, the need for effective disaster management strategies that not only address immediate relief and recovery efforts but also promote long-term sustainability has become more critical than ever.

This Special Issue, “Sustainable Disaster Management: Theory and Practice”, aims to bridge the gap between academic research and practical applications in the field of disaster management. It seeks to bring together a diverse range of perspectives, from scholars and practitioners alike, to explore the concept of sustainability within the context of disaster management and to showcase innovative approaches and best practices that have been implemented around the world.

Theoretical contributions in this Special Issue will delve into the underlying principles and frameworks that underpin sustainable disaster management. This includes exploring the relationships between disaster management and various aspects of sustainability, such as environmental conservation, social equity, and economic viability. Articles will examine how concepts such as resilience, vulnerability reduction, and adaptive capacity can be integrated into disaster management strategies to enhance the long-term sustainability of communities and regions.

On the practical side, this Special Issue will feature case studies and real-world examples that demonstrate how sustainable practices have been successfully implemented in different disaster scenarios. These may include initiatives related to disaster risk reduction, such as the use of nature-based solutions for flood and erosion control, or the development of community-based early warning systems. Additionally, articles will explore how post-disaster recovery efforts can be designed to not only rebuild but also to “build back better”, incorporating sustainable infrastructure, livelihood restoration, and social inclusion.

By highlighting both the theoretical and practical aspects of sustainable disaster management, this Special Issue hopes to provide valuable insights and inspiration for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working in the field. It aims to foster a dialog and exchange of ideas that will contribute to the development and implementation of more effective and sustainable disaster management strategies, ultimately leading to more resilient and sustainable communities in the face of future disasters.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable disaster management concepts, frameworks, policies, and strategies;
  • The risk assessment and vulnerability of infrastructure systems to natural hazards;
  • Advances in early warning systems;
  • Resilient infrastructures under disaster management;
  • Human-based solutions for disaster management;
  • Climate change adaptation and disaster management;
  • Community resilience to natural disasters;
  • Disaster risk management and sustainable development;
  • Safety in disaster-prone areas;
  • Advances in disaster response and recovery practices;
  • Other topics relevant to sustainable disaster management.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Ming Shan
Dr. Chun Fu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • disaster management
  • resilience
  • infrastructure systems
  • sustainable development

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1323 KiB  
Article
Disaster Chain Evolution and Risk Mitigation in Non-Coal Underground Mines with Fault Zones: A Complex Network Approach
by Songtao Yu, Yuxian Ke, Qian Kang, Wenzhe Jin, Haifeng Zhong, Danyan Cheng, Fading Wu and Hongwei Deng
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5520; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125520 - 16 Jun 2025
Viewed by 335
Abstract
The prevention and control of disasters in underground mines is a key task to ensure sustainable mining production and the development of society. The disaster chain brings cascading and clustering characteristics to disasters and leads to the expansion of their impacts and losses. [...] Read more.
The prevention and control of disasters in underground mines is a key task to ensure sustainable mining production and the development of society. The disaster chain brings cascading and clustering characteristics to disasters and leads to the expansion of their impacts and losses. It brings great difficulties to disaster prevention and control. This paper focuses on the disaster chain of a non-coal underground mine. It analyzes disaster events triggered by artificial mining activities based on a literature review, expert investigation, and field research. Subsequently, it constructs a complex network model of disaster chains containing 44 disaster nodes and 136 connecting edges. Then it performed a quantitative analysis of the complex network model, and studied complex network model parameters including degree, number of subnets, intermediate centrality, node importance, average path length, edge betweenness, connectivity, and edge vulnerability. On that basis, this paper reveals that the top five key nodes of the disaster chain are surface subsidence (H4), industrial site destruction (H7), well flooding (H21), equipment damage (H8), and living area damage (H11). It also reveals that the top five key edges of the disaster chain are mine water inrush (H6)→well flooding (H21), surface subsidence (H4)→industrial site destruction (H7), underground space failure (H3)→industrial site destruction (H7), gob collapse (H2)→surface subsidence (H4), and gob collapse (H2)→landslide (H5). Finally, this paper proposes specific chain-breaking disaster mitigation measures. Implementing these actions can play a pivotal role in mitigating the impact of mine disasters, preserving lives, and sustaining regional prosperity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Disaster Management: Theory and Practice)
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27 pages, 4552 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Disaster Resilience in Hospitals Through Flow Space-Optimized Evacuation Routes
by Yilai Wu, Jingwei Xia and Xuekelaiti Haiyirete
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5419; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125419 - 12 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 436
Abstract
Hospitals are an important piece of infrastructure for global emergency management, and their evacuation efficiency is crucial during large-scale disasters or public health crises. Traditional evacuation methods mainly focus on proximity and often overlook dynamic pedestrian density and channel capacity, leading to local [...] Read more.
Hospitals are an important piece of infrastructure for global emergency management, and their evacuation efficiency is crucial during large-scale disasters or public health crises. Traditional evacuation methods mainly focus on proximity and often overlook dynamic pedestrian density and channel capacity, leading to local congestion and increased risk. This study introduces a dynamic optimization evacuation path planning framework based on flow space theory to address the overall inefficiency in hospital evacuation. We model the hospital space as a dynamic network flow, analyze evacuation time through walking and queuing time, and apply a density–velocity correction model to adjust path allocation in real time. Using the MassMotion 11.0 platform to compare the evacuation of simulated hospital models before and after path optimization, the results showed that the average evacuation time was reduced by 10.58%, the waiting time in high-density areas was shortened, and the overall efficiency was improved. Empirical exercises show that path optimization can shorten evacuation time, demonstrating that spatial optimization strategies enhance hospital resilience. These results confirm the practical value of the flow space theory in emergency management for dealing with disasters. The flow space theory enriches the theoretical system of evacuation planning and contributes to a more in-depth study of people’s evacuation behaviors and the optimization of evacuation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Disaster Management: Theory and Practice)
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26 pages, 3718 KiB  
Article
Ontology-Based Retrieval System for Emergency Preparedness Documents in Urban Rail Transit Construction Projects
by Shiyue Xu, Ming Shan and Zhao Zhai
Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 2914; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072914 - 25 Mar 2025
Viewed by 386
Abstract
China’s urban rail transportation sector has been developing rapidly in recent years. However, frequent construction activities have led to more construction safety accidents, resulting in life and economic losses. To deal with safety accidents, emergency preparedness documents are fully developed. Based on the [...] Read more.
China’s urban rail transportation sector has been developing rapidly in recent years. However, frequent construction activities have led to more construction safety accidents, resulting in life and economic losses. To deal with safety accidents, emergency preparedness documents are fully developed. Based on the theory of ontology, this study proposed a case-based reasoning method that can retrieve the most similar cases to the target case and help to develop emergency preparedness documents quickly and efficiently. Specifically, an ontological framework for urban rail construction safety was constructed first in the Protégé platform based on risk factors of urban rail construction projects. Then, a case retrieval method was proposed, calculating the similarities between source cases and target cases. The analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the weights of each risk factor to match the most similar cases and provide a reference for the rapid generation of emergency preparedness of target cases. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge by providing valuable examples for the application of ontology-based case-based reasoning technology in the field of hazard management, which not only realizes knowledge sharing and full and effective utilization of past experiences but also significantly improves the hazard prevention and emergency preparedness capabilities in urban rail transit construction projects. At the same time, this study makes hazard management more systematic and efficient and provides important support for the long-term sustainable development of the urban rail transit construction industry in both social and economic dimensions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Disaster Management: Theory and Practice)
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