Disasters by Design Bibliography

Disasters by Design was intended for a general audience, including policymakers and practitioners. To help increase its clarity for the lay audience, the large number of
citations to the literature that would be expected in such a scholarly work were omitted. Instead, a few key references were provided, and the full bibliography is available for those with an academic inclination.

Disasters by Design

A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States

Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States by Dennis Mileti (1999, 376 pp.) costs $47.95, plus $4.50 shipping and handling and can be ordered from National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; fax: (202) 334-2451; http://books.nap.edu/catalog/5782.html.

The Second Assessment of Research on Natural Hazards was a multiyear project sponsored by the National Science Foundation with supporting contributions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. It began in 1994 with the formal mission of summarizing what is known in the various fields of science and engineering that is applicable to natural and related technological hazards in the United States and making some research and policy recommendations for the future.

The results of that effort are compiled in a book published in 1999 by the Joseph Henry Press in Washington, DC, entitled Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States.The book summarizes the hazards research findings from the last two decades, synthesizes what has been learned, and outlines a proposed shift in direction in research and policy for natural and related technological hazards in the United States.

Disasters by Design provides an alternative and sustainable way to view, study, and manage hazards in the United States that would result in disaster-resilient communities, higher environmental quality, inter- and intragenerational equity, economic sustainability, and improved quality of life. This volume provides an overview of what is known about natural hazards, disasters, recovery, and mitigation, how research findings have been translated into policies and programs; and a sustainable hazard mitigation research agenda. Also provided is an examination of past disaster losses and hazards management over the past 20 years, including factors--demographic, climate, social--that influence loss.