%0 Book %T Meeting the Challenges of Megacities in the Developing World: A Collection of Working Papers %D 1996 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5267/meeting-the-challenges-of-megacities-in-the-developing-world-a %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5267/meeting-the-challenges-of-megacities-in-the-developing-world-a %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %K Earth Sciences %P 124 %X Cities in developing countries are experiencing unprecedented population growth, which is exacerbating their already substantial problems in providing shelter and basic services. This volume draws on the significant advances in technologies and management strategies made in recent decades to suggest ways to improve urban life and services, especially for the poor. Four challenges to developing countries' megacities are addressed: labor markets, housing, water and sanitation, and transportation, along with a synthesis of general thinking on how to meet megacity challenges and be competitive in the twenty-first century. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States %@ 978-0-309-48961-4 %D 2019 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25381/framing-the-challenge-of-urban-flooding-in-the-united-states %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25381/framing-the-challenge-of-urban-flooding-in-the-united-states %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 100 %X Flooding is the natural hazard with the greatest economic and social impact in the United States, and these impacts are becoming more severe over time. Catastrophic flooding from recent hurricanes, including Superstorm Sandy in New York (2012) and Hurricane Harvey in Houston (2017), caused billions of dollars in property damage, adversely affected millions of people, and damaged the economic well-being of major metropolitan areas. Flooding takes a heavy toll even in years without a named storm or event. Major freshwater flood events from 2004 to 2014 cost an average of $9 billion in direct damage and 71 lives annually. These figures do not include the cumulative costs of frequent, small floods, which can be similar to those of infrequent extreme floods. Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States contributes to existing knowledge by examining real-world examples in specific metropolitan areas. This report identifies commonalities and variances among the case study metropolitan areas in terms of causes, adverse impacts, unexpected problems in recovery, or effective mitigation strategies, as well as key themes of urban flooding. It also relates, as appropriate, causes and actions of urban flooding to existing federal resources or policies. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Pool, Robert %E Laney, Kara %T Exploring a Dynamic Soil Information System: Proceedings of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-49167-9 %D 2021 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26170/exploring-a-dynamic-soil-information-system-proceedings-of-a-workshop %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26170/exploring-a-dynamic-soil-information-system-proceedings-of-a-workshop %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 116 %X As a living substrate, soil is critical to the function of Earth's geophysical and chemical properties. Soil also plays a major role in several human activities, including farming, forestry, and environmental remediation. Optimizing those activities requires a clear understanding of different soils, their function, their composition and structure, and how they change over time and from place to place. Although the importance of soil to Earth's biogeochemical cycles and to human activities is recognized, the current systems in place for monitoring soil properties - including physical, chemical, and, biological characteristics - along with measures of soil loss through erosion, do not provide an accurate picture of changes in the soil resource over time. Such an understanding can only be developed by collecting comprehensive data about soils and the various factors that influence them in a way that can be updated regularly and made available to researchers and others who wish to understand soils and make decisions based on those data. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened key stakeholders in a workshop on March 2-4, 2021, to discuss the development of a dynamic soil information system. Workshop discussions explored possiblities to dynamically and accurately monitor soil resources nationally with the mutually supporting goals of (1) achieving a better understanding of causal influences on observed changes in soil and interactions of soil cycling of nutrients and gases with earth processes, and (2) providing accessible, useful, and actionable information to land managers and others. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop. %0 Book %E Olson, Steve %T Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters: The Perspective from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi: Summary of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-21527-5 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13178/increasing-national-resilience-to-hazards-and-disasters-the-perspective-from %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13178/increasing-national-resilience-to-hazards-and-disasters-the-perspective-from %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 138 %X Natural disasters are having an increasing effect on the lives of people in the United States and throughout the world. Every decade, property damage caused by natural disasters and hazards doubles or triples in the United States. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and all Americans are at risk from such hazards as fires, earthquakes, floods, and wind. The year 2010 saw 950 natural catastrophes around the world--the second highest annual total ever--with overall losses estimated at $130 billion. The increasing impact of natural disasters and hazards points to increasing importance of resilience, the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, or more successfully adapt to actual or potential adverse events, at the individual , local, state, national, and global levels. Assessing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters reviews the effects of Hurricane Katrina and other natural and human-induced disasters on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi and to learn more about the resilience of those areas to future disasters. Topics explored in the workshop range from insurance, building codes, and critical infrastructure to private-sector issues, public health, nongovernmental organizations and governance. This workshop summary provides a rich foundation of information to help increase the nation's resilience through actionable recommendations and guidance on the best approaches to reduce adverse impacts from hazards and disasters.