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Page 12 of 16 Kodag et al. Dis Prev Res 2023;2:12 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/dpr.2023.11

DISCUSSION
The population will naturally increase, with migrant populations who choose the city for permanent
residence and floating populations from fringe areas around the city. People choosing the city from different
parts of the country will bring in their own cultural identity. Pune city has been a cosmopolitan city with a
mix of cultures. Yet, according to the participants, the homogeneity of Pune city will not be affected by the
cultural differences of the populations. However, the concentration and composition of the population may
[31]
add to the vulnerability of disasters . Population growth in cities is a natural phenomenon, but the
exponential growth promoted by various developmental initiatives increases the risk exposure, especially
when dedicated efforts for risk reduction are not prominent in the spatial planning of the city. These
initiatives fail to contribute to DRR, marking the disaster risk as high.

The increased population has led to an increased demand for housing and commercial activities, which has
been evident for the past three decades. Smart city initiatives in Pune encourage compact development in
housing and promote mix use development, where people can access the “place of work or entertainment,
walking”. It will influence the landuse pattern prescribed in the development plan of the city, especially with
the decision of “TOD”. To accommodate the increasing densities, the landuse patterns are continuously
modified with the focus on residential and mix landuse, increasing the risk exposure. The imbalance of
densities of population and built structures created in the spatial planning of the city due to initiatives, such
as “TOD”, on the contrary, increases the risk probabilities in emergency scenarios, contributing negatively
to DRR. A recent study conducted by researchers in Taiwan showing the relationship between landuse
changes for built footprint and disaster risk summarizes the need for an informed decision system . Spatial
[32]
planning needs to acknowledge disaster risks and be sensitive to perform in worst-case scenarios to avoid
loss of life and assets.

One of the focus areas of smart city initiatives in Pune is to promote walkability. The pedestrian walkways
are increased in width and are beautified, resulting in reducing the carriage width of roads and roadside
parking. Citizens have welcomed the beautification of walkways but are not satisfied with the narrower
carriage width of roads, which results in occasional traffic jams. Transport systems were the top issue
highlighted by the citizens in the citizen engagement survey conducted by a smart city team. To resolve the
issue, the Metro, as a mass transport system, is introduced (under construction). Despite efforts being made
for strengthening the mass transport system and public transport, participants feel the traffic density on
roads will increase due to feeder transport facilities, the use of private vehicles, and the hindrances caused by
the metro infrastructure. Surface drainage systems are one focus area of smart city initiatives in Pune.
However, the lack of surface drainage systems, both quantitatively and qualitatively, creates water logging
problems in the city during monsoons, which is left unaddressed while beautifying the pedestrian walkways.
This increases the risk of flash floods in every monsoon, disrupting the normal functioning of the city,
which was evident in the past two heavy precipitation events. The density of traffic, uncoordinated traffic
signal systems, encroached walkways, beautification of road dividers, and the number of road accidents in
the city make the participants feel their safety is being compromised on the roads. The citizen engagement
program has highlighted this issue. In disaster scenarios, roads are the lifelines. The roads of Pune city were
already overstressed; the ever-increasing number of private vehicles and reduced carriageways have added
to risk on roads. Moreover, roads are the only open land parcels in some dense parts of the city in disaster
scenarios.

The changes in the development plan of Pune over the years have converted the open parcels of land into
residential areas, with very little effort on proportionately increasing the open spaces for gardens and
playgrounds for citizens. Moreover, open spaces are important resources in disaster recovery . Though for
[33]