Journal of Urban Economics and Management

Development of cities and urbanization and the gradual increase in the number of large cities in the world, especially in developing countries, on the one hand, and expansion of cities, centralization and accumulation of population and the enhancement of economic and environmental burden on them, on the other hand, while brining the cities in the foreground, have resulted in the cities’ adopting numerous roles and functions. One of the important issues most large cities of the world are dealing with is the issue of natural disasters. With regard to the unexpectedness nature of such events and the necessity to make quick and proper decisions and taking the required measures, the theoretical and fundamental principles have given way to a body of knowledge entitled “Disaster Management”. Such knowledge refers to a set of actions taken prior to, during, and following disasters so that the resultant damages are reduced and the vulnerabilities are minimized. It is possible to reduce the consequences of natural disasters via observing principles and regulations for urban development and through clarifying the current concepts in the knowledge, like the structure of the city, determining the functionality of urban lands, communication networks, and the infrastructure of the city. One of the Iranian cities which is more susceptible to such a problem than the others is the city of Shahrekord. The city, due to its geographical location and its positioning among various mountain ranges, and also because of the ravines inside and around and highly vulnerable vaults surrounding the city, is very prone to natural disasters. On the other hand, due to haphazard development of the city, in case of any probable disaster, like floods, a large portion of southern city will be negatively affected. Via an analytic-descriptive method and through field study, the process of empowering disaster management to reduce natural disasters, like earthquakes and floods, is case-studied in the city of Shahrekord. The results of the study indicate that via proper management, effects and damages caused by natural disasters can be reduced. Besides, by analyzing the collected data via AHP method and by using GIS software, attempts were made to identify appropriate path to the development of the city, aiming at disaster management in upcoming years.