Wednesday 21 May 2008

Sensible planning regulations

AFAICS, the death toll and destruction in Burma and China were not really the result of 'natural disasters'; but of a total and abject failure of planning regulations and building controls.

If you build lots of homes on a low-lying coastal flood plain in a region prone to cyclones, you are asking for trouble. Ditto allowing non-earthquake proof buildings to be built in an earthquake zone.

See also New Orleans, Indonesia etc.

1 comments:

Snafu said...

You mean there is a role for state intervention!?!

PS Don't forget that New York City is almost as likely to suffer a severe earthquake as San Francsico...