Darryn Mcevoy

• PhD
• Professor at RMIT University

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are considered to hold promise for addressing the pressing and multi-faceted challenges of climate resilience. Addressing this contemporary agenda, this research paper explores the potential value of NbS in urban contexts based on the experience of implementing four NbS pilots to address climate adaptation and disaster...

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the localised shelter solutions to fulfil adequate and disaster resilient housing needs of urban informal settlers of Honiara, the capital city of Solomon Islands, in a way that is sensitive to their unique challenges, values and aspirations, is gender- and disability-inclusive, and considers housing from the co...

This report provides a summary of the design, implementation, and outcomes of the SIDA-funded project ‘An integrated approach to strengthening climate action, improving the urban environment, and providing for more resilient settlements for the urban poor, focusing on the Koa Hill settlement in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The short-term project was a...

Urban centres in the Pacific region are fast growing, with cities presenting as complex sites of risk and vulnerability. Within these cities, urban informal settlement communities are often some of the most vulnerable to climate change and impacts and urban climate planning needs to explicitly consider the priority needs of these often-marginalized...

To ensure that shelters in informal settlements across the Pacific Island region are disaster resilient, policymakers and relief agencies must work closely with local communities to implement sustainable solutions, Darryn McEvoy, Mittul Vahanvati, Deb Kuh, and Usha Iyer-Raniga write.

As is happening to other Melanesia cities, Honiara is rapidly urbanizing due to significant rural-urban migration. This is leading to the growth of informal settlements and increasing numbers of urban poor in the city. In such urban environments, people continue to rely heavily on forest and garden crops for both subsistence and cash income. It is...

This climate resilient community development plan has been developed through a series of community consultations since 2015 to determine local climate vulnerabilities and to identify priority needs; informed by community perspectives. This report integrates and summarises the findings from three assessments: 1) community consultations to inform cli...

This climate resilient community development plan has been developed through a series of community consultations since 2015 to determine local climate vulnerabilities and to identify priority needs; informed by community perspectives. The report integrates and summarises the findings from three assessments: 1) community consultations to inform clim...

This climate resilient community development plan has been developed through a series of community consultations since 2015 to determine local climate vulnerabilities and to identify priority needs; informed by community perspectives. The report integrates and summarises the findings from three assessments: 1) community consultations to inform clim...

Community consultations have taken place in Honiara since 2015, as part of the Honiara Urban Resilience and Climate Action Plan (HURCAP). During this process, the HURCAP identified Jabros as an additional vulnerability ‘hotspot’ for assessment; to be conducted as part of the Climate Resilient Honiara (CRH) project. This community development plan i...

Community consultations have taken place in Honiara since 2015, as part of the Honiara Urban Resilience and Climate Action Plan. During this process, the HURCAP identified Wind Valley as an additional vulnerability ‘hotspot’ for assessment; to be conducted as part of the Climate Resilient Honiara (CRH) project. This involved a household and settlem...

This report examines the potential role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in contributing to a portfolio of actions aimed at enhancing the climate resilience of Honiara’s urban residents; as well as proposing specific NbS actions that are appropriate for local context. The conceptual designs highlighted in the report have been informed by a number o...

This report presents an analysis of evacuation centres by architecture, engineering, and GIS experts from RMIT University. They worked closely with key stakeholders in Honiara to undertake preliminary analysis on evacuation centre needs, and to make recommendations for interventions for the Climate Resilient Honiara project (CRH). The report is ba...

Executive Summary Honiara has one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in the Asia and Pacific region. The rate of urban expansion in peri-urban areas is placing pressure on government to manage the growth and provide services and infrastructure to new housing areas. The growth is also expanding beyond the township boundaries into areas of Guadalca...

Executive summary Work package 7 on climate resilient spaces, for purposes of analysis, was divided into two discrete components: a) hard infrastructure (evacuation centres) and b) nature-based solutions. This report presents an analysis of evacuation centres by architecture, engineering, and GIS experts from RMIT University. They worked closely wi...

This Shelter Guide has been developed as part of a regional suite of guides covering Fiji, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands. Whilst this Guide for Solomon Islands complements the others, it also adds critical insights by focusing on the particular needs of those living in urban informal settlements and the realities of residents who often act as first...

Rapid urbanisation in the Global South is leading to the growth of informal settlements in urban areas, commonly characterised by inadequate housing and a lack of essential services. It is estimated that nearly one-third of the worlds' population is living in unsafe and unhygienic conditions and experiencing considerable socioeconomic disadvantage....

The major global pressures of rapid urbanization and urban growth are being compounded by climate impacts, resulting in increased vulnerability for urban dwellers, with these vulnerabilities exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of this is concentrated in urban and peri-urban areas where urban development spreads into hazard-prone areas. O...

The major global pressures of rapid urbanization and urban growth are compounded by climate impacts resulting in increased vulnerability for urban dwellers, with these vulnerabilities exacerbated during COVID-19. Much of this is concentrated in urban and peri-urban areas where urban development spreads into hazard-prone areas. Often this developmen...

This book presents practical approaches for tackling the threats from climate change and disasters to urban growth in Pacific island countries and Asian nations. With chapters written by leading scholars and practitioners, Urbanisation at Risk presents research and case studies from island countries across the Pacific, Cambodia, Nepal and the Phil...

This research leveraged existing UN-Habitat instances of community profiling surveys (such as the survey being used in Fiji and partly deployed in Koa Hill), which were then refined for use in the Honiara context. The goal was to design a survey that is both quick and effective, elicits information on critical issues of vulnerability to climate cha...

This project report details a community profile of Wind Valley community in Honiara, based on household and settlement surveys. This contextual information was used to inform a climate resilient community development plan.

The capital cities of the South Pacific are experiencing rapid urbanisation pressures as increasing numbers of people migrate to the primary cities either in search of employment and greater access to healthcare and education, or as a consequence of environmental ‘push’ factors. However, the limited capacity of municipal Governments to respond to t...

Ecosystem services play a key role in maintaining community resilience and wellbeing; a function increasingly profiled following the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. However, there is limited understanding of the value of, and threats to, ‘urban’ ecosystem services, especially in relation to Small Island Developing States (SIDS)....

This report examines the inter-relationships between land tenure and climate vulnerability. The report was written with a broad audience in mind, including development, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, emergency management and land sector communities of practice. The aim is to highlight some of the complex and inter-linked challe...

Urbanisation trends and global environmental change are two of the most critical modern-day stressors threatening the resilience of cities around the world. This paper focuses on Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, which is experiencing rapid urbanisation and a resultant spread of informal settlements. Similar to other primary cities...

A combination of population growth, unprecedented rates of urbanization, and a changing climate, is leading to complex resilience challenges for Governments and societies around the world [...]

Pacific Small Island Developing States are often referred to as the “frontline” of climate change, facing an array of worsening climate-related shocks and stressors. However, despite their underlying exposure to climate change impacts, the role of Pacific Island cities as both an avenue for adaptation and sites of climate vulnerability is often ove...

Purpose – There is a growing interest in climate change action in the higher education sector. Higher education institutions (HEIs) play an important role as property owners, employers, education and research hubs as well as leaders of societal transformations. The purpose of this paper was therefore to benchmark how universities globally are addre...

Ports are an important economic actor—at local, national, and international scales—that have been identified as being vulnerable to future changes to the climate. This paper details the findings from an international review of state‐of‐the‐art knowledge concerning climate risks, and adaptation responses, for ports and their supply chains. Evidence...

This technical summary document reports on the findings from the first phase of ESRAM activity that was conducted in Greater Port Vila between January and June 2016. Whilst it was understood at the outset that both climate and non-climate drivers would be important influences on ecosystem quality (and the services they provide), local engagement –...

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are often cited as being the most vulnerable to the future impacts of a changing climate. Furthermore, being located in the 'Pacific Rim of Fire', PICs have long been exposed to the impacts of a range of natural and climate-related extreme events-such as earthquakes and cyclones-and are considered to be amongst the m...

While seasonal outlooks have been operational for many years, until recently the extended-range timescale referred to as subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) has received little attention. S2S prediction fills the gap between short-range weather prediction and long-range seasonal outlooks. Decisions in a range of sectors are made in this extended-range le...

Climate change is acknowledged as the largest threat to our societies in the coming decades, potentially affecting large and diverse groups of urban residents in this century of urbanization. As urban areas house highly diverse people with differing vulnerabilities, intensifying climate change is likely to shift the focus of discussions from a gene...

This technical summary document reports on the findings from the first phase of ESRAM activity that was conducted in Greater Port Vila between January and June 2016. Whilst it was understood at the outset that both climate and non-climate drivers would be important influences on ecosystem quality (and the services they provide), local engagement –...

The future impact of climate change will be a considerable challenge for all countries, and in particular Small Island Developing States. Challenges related to climate vulnerability and tenure security are exacerbated in areas of rapid urbanisation and urban growth, with highly vulnerable informal settlements a common result. Drawing on research in...

InPress

This report will help the Tasmanian community be better prepared for, respond to and recover from natural disasters through an updated understanding and awareness of the natural hazards that have the most potential to impact the State. The information contained in this report, including the risk register and risk treatment options together with th...

This report will help the Tasmanian community be better prepared for, respond to and recover from natural disasters through an updated understanding and awareness of the natural hazards that have the most potential to impact the State. The information contained in this summary report, together with the risk register and risk treatment options prov...

Future climate change is considered to be one of the most pressing challenges for the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) given their already high levels of exposure to natural hazards, limited capacity to respond, and significant geographical challenges. PICs have a long history of experiencing earthquakes and associated tsunamis, as well as climate-r...

Climate change is emerging as one of the major challenges facing scientific and policy communities. The inherent complexity will ultimately require a much more integrated response scientifically to better understand multiple causes and impacts as well as at the scientific–policy interface where new forms of engagement between scientists, policymake...

Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, faces a myriad of resilience challenges. Not only is the city already exposed to multiple natural hazards, a changing climate will amplify many of the adverse impacts into the future. At the same time, rapid urbanization - most obviously expressed through the growth of informal settlements in urban...

This report constitutes the complete outputs of the climate vulnerability assessment carried out by RMIT University for Port Vila, Vanuatu throughout 2014. This activity forms part of the broader agenda for UN-Habitat’s Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) in the Pacific region. The content contained in this report is based on knowledge gene...

Meteorological and hydrological centres around the world are looking at ways to improve their capacity to be able to produce and deliver skilful and reliable forecasts of high-impact extreme rainfall and flooding events on a range of prediction timescales (e.g. sub-daily, daily, multi-week, seasonal). Making improvements to extended-range rainfall...

The Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone in the world. Rapid urbanization, conflict over land, and the establishment of informal settlements on hazardous sites further exacerbate the problems. These issues present a significant challenge for government agencies, which require capacity building to respond adequately. Customary land predo...

Coastal zones and urbanization - summary for decision makers

This report constitutes the complete outputs of the climate vulnerability assessment carried out by RMIT University for Port Vila, Vanuatu throughout 2014. This activity forms part of the broader agenda for UN-Habitat’s Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) in the Pacific region.

Integrating GI (e.g. street trees, lawns, green roofs and walls) into the urban landscape has the potential to cool the urban microclimate by providing shade and evapo-transpirative cooling whilst also reducing heat retention. Irrigating GI with safe, sustainable water sources (stormwater, recycled water) will further improve vegetation health and...

This paper examines the likely impact of extreme weather events and rising sea levels on key port logistics operations and infrastructure. It develops a 3D model to assess the vulnerability of seaports vis-à-vis operational assets to sea-level rise. Key operational assets were first identified and geo-referenced on a high-resolution digital terrain...

Seaports are critical components of the nation's infrastructure system, acting as vital 'hubs' that connect Australia to regional and global supply chains. Evidence from the academic and grey literature review found that although the topic is relatively new with limited international studies on 'climate risks and seaports' to date, a knowledge base...

Complex policy issues such as climate change adaptation can be interpreted in many different ways, resulting in different assumptions about their purpose and goals. Using material from a qualitative study in the Australian local government sector, this research shows that stakeholders involved in local adaptation policy formulation often do not hav...

Purpose – After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, major resettlement programmes were implemented in the affected countries including Sri Lanka and India. New settlements were built from scratch on vacant land, which consisted of building new houses and provision of infrastructure and services. Some of these programmes in Sri Lanka and India were revie...

Vietnam and Bangladesh are countries already impacted by weather-related extreme events. Scientific modelling projections indicate that climate change, and changes to climate variability, will increase risks for both countries in the future. Targeting this challenging contemporary agenda, this paper reflects on the lessons learned from a collaborat...

This report contributes to a broader research project that was funded by the Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation research (VCCCAR) that aimed to develop a better understanding of Melbourne’s Urban Heat Island (UHI); to assess the effectiveness of different ‘Green Infrastructure’ (GI) systems in minimising heat accumulation and optimising...

Green infrastructure (GI) can help mitigate high urban temperatures This guide identifies key steps in mitigating urban surface temperatures to minimise high daytime urban temperatures: o Identify priority locations based on assessments of exposure and vulnerability o Maximise the effectiveness of existing GI by integrating water sensitive urba...

This guide identifies key steps in mitigating urban surface temperatures to minimise high daytime urban temperatures o Identify priority locations based on assessments of exposure and vulnerability o Maximise the effectiveness of existing GI by integrating water sensitive urban design o Identify priority streets for temperature reduction based o...

The re-integration of Green Infrastructure (GI) — living plant matter such as street trees, green roofs and vertical gardens — into the urban form is increasingly being internationally recognised as an opportunity to provide multiple benefits to cities. However in Australia, the uptake of urban GI policies, programs and projects has lagged behind t...

In the Australian policy context, there has recently been a discernible shift in the discourse used when considering responses to the impacts of current weather extremes and future climate change. Commonly used terminology, such as climate change impacts and vulnerability, is now being increasingly replaced by a preference for language with more po...

Public policymakers are caught in a dilemma: there is a growing list of urgent issues to address, at the same time that public expenditure is being cut. Adding to this dilemma is a system of government designed in the 19th century and competing theories of policymaking dating back to the 1950s. The interlinked problems of disaster risk management a...

This document can be found: http://www.nccarf.edu.au/sites/default/files/attached_files_publications/McEvoy_2013_Enhancing_the_resilience_of_seaports_Synthesis_WP4.pdf

Climate change adaptation is highly context specific, so generic adaptation actions cannot be adopted without appropriate site-specific investigation. For this reason, this research recommends port authorities undertake a location-specific climate risk assessment, building on the AS/NZS ISO 31000 Risk Management standard. This guidance document dis...

The impact of the extreme heat wave that affected Melbourne, Australia, in two distinct phases in January and February 2009 was severe, with 374 (heat) and 173 (bushfire) excess deaths. Whilst the human health issues have been covered in detail in policy and academic arenas, much less attention has been paid to the adverse impacts on urban infrastr...

Emergency management and climate change adaptation will increasingly challenge all levels of government because of three main factors. First, Australia is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly through the increasing frequency, duration and/or intensity of disasters such as floods and bushfires. Second, the system of go...

An interdisciplinary study was conducted in the Kailash Sacred Landscape region in north-western Nepal, to explore opportunities for, and barriers to, sustainable tourism as an adaptation strategy, not only for reducing community vulnerability to climate change but also as a poverty–alleviation measure. Whilst the primary focus was on interactions...

The purpose of this report is to present and discuss the findings of qualitative research into institutional barriers and opportunities of climate change adaptation, conducted by the Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research (VCCCAR) for the City of Greater Bendigo (CoGB). The CoGB has been a case study partner in the VCCCAR project ‘...

A number of commonly used approaches have emerged in local climate change adaptation planning, which can be considered as different ways of framing the meaning and purpose of adaptation. The significance of framing in adaptation planning is to date largely unexplored in adaptation research and practice. Yet both social and institutional drivers of...

The Climate Change Adaptation Navigator is a web-based application designed to assist local and state governments as well as regional organisations in the process of adapting to the impacts of climate change. It can assist planners and decision-makers to develop a strategic and tailored process pathway for adapting to climate change. The website (w...

Whereas the literature on adaptation is rich in detail on the impacts of, vulnerability to, and constraints of climate adaptation, less is known about the conditions that facilitate adaptation in practice. We examined the constraints and opportunities for adaptation in water and land use planning in three regions: the Guadiana River Basin in Spain...

Transdisciplinarity has been identified as a major pillar of sustainability science. It is widely understood that the knowledge required to deal with intractable problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss cannot be found within the neatly organized walls of a single scientific discipline. This understanding was made even clearer as a res...

This toolkit assembles a set of tools and describes the process for conducting a Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA) of disaster and climate change risks at the community level. This PCVA toolkit is targeted primarily for community-based staff members of development agencies such as Oxfam and national agencies. It follows an in...

This final report sets out the methodology and key findings that have resulted from a study into tourism and climate change in the Kailash Sacred Landscape region of Nepal. This research was carried out to scope out the opportunities for, and barriers to, promoting sustainable tourism as an adaptation strategy; not only reducing community vulnerabi...

With a shutdown or slowdown of the oceanic thermohalinecirculation, which acts as a conveyor belt that transportswarmer waters northwards to the maritime regions of Western Europe, many parts of Europe could face abrupt decreases intemperature, with potentially serious social and economicconsequences. What do we know about the potential impacts and...