Sustainable Pre-Disaster Mitigation and Post-Disaster Recovery Strategies for Resilient Societies

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic focuses on sustainable pre-disaster mitigation and post-disaster recovery as complementary strategies for strengthening societal resilience. We invite the submission of interdisciplinary research that advances theory, evidence, and practice on reducing disaster risk, limiting cascading impacts, and enabling equitable recovery. Topics of interest include governance and institutional capacity; recovery planning and financing; resilient infrastructure and lifeline systems; housing and livelihood restoration; community participation, trust, and social capital; nature-based solutions and hazards recovery from extreme climate events, floods, earthquakes, etc.; and frameworks for measuring resilience and recovery outcomes. Contributions should offer clear implications for policy and implementation across diverse contexts.

We welcome the submission of interdisciplinary perspectives and diverse methodologies, including comparative analyses, case-based research, and applied frameworks with clear policy relevance. Collectively, with this Topic, we will be able to advance knowledge and actionable insights for building more resilient, sustainable, and just societies.

Suggested Thematic Subtopics

1. Linking Mitigation and Recovery
• “Build back better”, risk reduction through reconstruction, and recovery as a window for transformation.
2. Governance, Institutions, and Recovery Capacity
• Multi-level governance, inter-organizational coordination, legitimacy, and accountability.
3. Resilient Infrastructure and Critical Lifeline Systems
• Cascading failures, interdependencies, robustness vs. adaptability, and prioritization of investments.
4. Equity, Community Participation, and Social Capital
• Vulnerable populations, trust-building, participatory recovery planning, and social cohesion and conflict.
5. Nature-Based Solutions and Climate Adaptation in Recovery
• Ecosystem services, hybrid infrastructure, sustainable land-use planning, and climate-informed recovery pathways.

Prof. Dr. Deborah F. Shmueli
Prof. Dr. Eli Salzberger
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Climate climate	4.0	6.5	2013	20.5 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	4.1	8.9	2009	16.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Urban Science urbansci	3.2	3.7	2017	20.8 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Water water	3.5	6.7	2009	17.7 Days	CHF 2600	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Climate Sustainability Urban Science Water

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26 pages, 715 KB  

Open AccessArticle

A Disaster-Recovery Typology Framework: Conceptual Development and Application to Sustainable Recovery Planning

by Danielle Zaychik, Deborah Shmueli, Amnon Reichman, Eli Salzberger, Michal Ben-Gal and Inbal Maimon-Blau

Sustainability 2026, 18(11), 5769; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18115769 - 5 Jun 2026

Viewed by 533

Abstract

Background and rationale: A review of the current disaster-recovery literature highlights the lack of standard frameworks for comparing recovery experiences. Indicator-based evaluation tools are often context-specific, and the generalizability of lessons learned from case studies is limited. This research offers a diagnostic framework [...] Read more.

Background and rationale: A review of the current disaster-recovery literature highlights the lack of standard frameworks for comparing recovery experiences. Indicator-based evaluation tools are often context-specific, and the generalizability of lessons learned from case studies is limited. This research offers a diagnostic framework that can be used both as a tool for analyzing and strengthening specific instances of disaster recovery and for comparing recoveries across contexts. Methodology: The literature search was conducted to identify important elements of recovery. Results: This article presents the Recovery Typology Framework (RTF)—a tool for analyzing and characterizing recovery efforts, identifying recovery strengths and weaknesses, and comparing disaster recovery across settings and scales. Useful to both scholars and practitioners, the RTF is divided into process, outcome, and assessment aspects of disaster recovery. Recovery processes can be efficient or participatory. Recovery outcomes can be aimed at stabilization, restoration, or improvement. Both objective and subjective assessment methods can be used to evaluate recovery processes and outcomes. Types of evaluation vary from formative to summative throughout the recovery process. This article applies the RTF to Israel’s national long-term earthquake recovery plans, demonstrating how this tool can be used to characterize, critique, and improve recovery planning. Contribution and usefulness: The study contributes to disaster-recovery scholarship by offering a conceptual–analytical framework that integrates governance processes, recovery outcomes, and assessment mechanisms into a single comparative structure. Rather than proposing a prescriptive or empirically validated model, the RTF is designed as a diagnostic and interpretive tool that can be applied across diverse contexts to reveal trade-offs and guide more reflexive recovery planning. The framework makes it possible to identify the unique blend of elements in specific recovery experiences, outlines the trade-offs implicit in recovery decision-making, and facilitates comparison of recovery experiences across contexts. Contribution to UN SDGs: The RTF offers a tool for identifying areas of recovery that contribute to and threaten the long-term sustainability of recovery efforts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Sustainable Pre-Disaster Mitigation and Post-Disaster Recovery Strategies for Resilient Societies)

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20 pages, 42320 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Flood Risk Mitigation Planning Based on ArcGIS Rainfall Simulation: A Case Study of Flood Prevention Strategies for the Dangjin Traditional Market, South Korea

by Sang-Hoon Lee, Sang-Ji Lee, Da-Hee Kim, Seung-Hyeon Park, Seung-Jun Lee and Hong-Sik Yun

Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 4111; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084111 - 21 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events have increased in South Korea, resulting in recurrent urban flooding that exceeds the design capacity of conventional drainage systems. In the Dangjin Traditional Market area, comparable rainfall conditions in 2024 and [...] Read more.

Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events have increased in South Korea, resulting in recurrent urban flooding that exceeds the design capacity of conventional drainage systems. In the Dangjin Traditional Market area, comparable rainfall conditions in 2024 and 2025 caused repeated flooding, suggesting that structural improvements implemented without quantitative verification do not necessarily guarantee effective flood prevention. This study aims to support sustainable urban flood management by assessing the pre-implementation effectiveness of structural flood mitigation measures using a spatially explicit simulation approach. An ArcGIS-based rainfall–inundation simulation was conducted by integrating a 1 m LiDAR-derived digital elevation model, land cover data classified using a pixel-based Support Vector Machine, detailed building and channel datasets, and observed hourly rainfall from the July 2025 extreme event. Scenarios with and without the application of levee heightening and drainage capacity expansion were compared under identical rainfall conditions. The results indicate that the application of structural measures leads to a clear reduction in inundation extent and water depth. The proposed framework provides a practical simulation-based decision-support tool for verifying flood mitigation measures in advance and for promoting sustainable flood risk management in urban areas prone to recurrent flooding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Sustainable Pre-Disaster Mitigation and Post-Disaster Recovery Strategies for Resilient Societies)

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