In Chile and Ecuador, multiple hazards and dynamic processes in vulnerability pose a high risk. Spatial planning and emergency management can contribute to disaster risk management but they follow different goals. However, global goals, such as from UN-ISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction) and UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) can potentially support cities and regions in defining concerted action. This paper aims at measuring the performance of Chile and Ecuador in regard to the aforementioned policy goals. Although both countries show considerable progresses in the implementation of the UN strategies, it is doubtful that the existing global monitoring approach is appropriately designed for measuring the real situation on the ground. Our paper is based on a desktop research combined with stakeholder workshops and expert interviews. Overall, both countries made considerable progress in regard to disaster preparedness and monitoring. However, multi-risks are rarely considered and there is still increasing vulnerability due to the expansion of informal settlements. The risk management is characterized by an imbalanced distribution of financial resources and institutional capacities between the metropolitan regions and smaller municipalities, and by low public participation and hardly community-based approaches. The paper underlines the importance for more qualitative, in-depth studies on the root causes of disaster risk which could complement the global monitoring which is very much focused on quantitative data and shows inconsistency between input and output indicators.

Before the 2010, studies in climate change (CC) projections embracing scales below 3° were difficult to find. This has changed dramatically over the past ten years, with literature addressing high resolution grids for climate studies, allowing a better understanding and forecasting of CC at finer scales. However, downscaling methods remain poorly explored in urban planning. Research shows that the main difficulties relate to mismatches between data needs and data availability, terminology, constraints of information technology and maps that inform spatial planning decision-making processes. Based on dynamic downscaled maps for RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 at 10 km resolution published by Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and Water (MAAE), we develop a method for augmenting the resolution scale at 30 m. We use digital elevation models and Landsat 4/5/7/8 satellite imagery for land surface temperature (LST) and present a series of steps and equations before applying Stefan Bolzman’s law. We present the necessary equations between the filling-in of LST outliers, and their projection onto air temperature at 2 m height, taking surface emissivity estimates based on (Alves et al 2017 J. Hyperspectral Remote Sens. 7 91–100). We extrapolate the resulting air temperature in time with Fourier’s series, and for the purpose of coherence among scales, we upscale air temperature maps at 30 m to those at 10 km resolution. The resulting CC projection maps are validated with the temporal series of air temperature (max, min, mean) from the meteorological station in the Ecuadorian city of Portoviejo (Student’s t-test) for the period between 1981 and 2005, with Portoviejo city facing temperature increases of up to 2 °C under RCP 4.5 scenario in the period 2011–2040 vs 1981–2005. The final CC maps have an augmented resolution of 30 m, are compatible with those of MAAE, and offer a low-cost procedure for informing land-use and urban planners, as well as local development decision makers, of temperature anomalies due to climate change.

Las normas de energía en edificaciones (NEE) son políticas importantes de reducción de energía, emisiones y costos. A su vez, contribuyen a que las edificaciones existentes y nuevas se beneficien de las medidas y estrategias actuales de eficiencia. Simular, cuantificar y comparar el impacto de la implementación de la Norma Ecuatoriana de la Construcción (NEC), principalmente el capítulo de eficiencia energética en edificaciones residenciales (NEC-HS-EE) en viviendas tipo en términos de consumo de energía y su aporte a la reducción de GEI, como estrategia de mitigación al cambio climático. Se simuló con el programa DesignBuilder V.4.07 y analizó el comportamiento térmico y energético de dos viviendas tipo ubicados en la ciudad de Guayaquil, provincia del Guayas la cual reporta un consumo de energía promedio de 1672.48kWh/hab por año. Se realizó un análisis comparativo de sin/con la implementación de la NEC-HS-EE en el siguiente orden, 1) distribución de las temperaturas ambiente y operativa (interior de la vivienda), 2) balance de energía como resultado del intercambio de energía producto de la transferencia de calor en los diferentes elementos constructivos de la vivienda, 3) consumo de energía como producto del equipamiento y la actividad normal de los habitantes y los diferentes requerimientos energéticos de los equipos de acondicionamiento de aire y 4) emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) expresadas en kgCO2eq/m2/año. Los resultados mostraron que con la aplicación de la NEC-HS-EE se contribuyó a una reducción de emisiones de GEI, así como una disminución de la temperatura operativa en ambas viviendas. En términos reales, la aplicación de la NEC-HS-EE representó una reducción total de 1046kWh/m2 equivalentes a 934.4 kgCO2-eq por año en la "Vivienda tipo con acabados medios", y de 0.93 kWh/m2 equivalentes a 18.42 kgCO2-eq por año en la vivienda "Juntos por ti". Esta investigación establece una evaluación comparativa, sobre los beneficios derivados de las normas de energía en edificaciones y contribuyen al desarrollo de conceptos e instrumentos de etiquetado en edificaciones. Finalmente, como estrategia de mitigación al cambio climático, se propone la necesidad del desarrollo de estrategias complementarias de reducción de emisiones GEI que incluyan esquemas de etiquetado para los usuarios residenciales, así como ampliar la tipología de edificaciones sujetas a la NEC-HS-EE más allá del uso residencial.

Urban planning as shared-resource is tied with the ‘tragedy of the commons’. Since UN-Habitat III, Ecuador has embraced the opportunity for urban sustainability. However, while the right to the city is constitutionally anchored since 2008, the integration of strategic sectoral plans and their spatial link remains unclear. Aiming at a better understanding on how sectoral plans, particularly mining, are articulated to planning instruments, we reviewed the existing instruments as well as those from the mining sector. Rooted in qualitative methods, interviews were conducted with respondents involved in the development of underground and land use planning in Ecuador. Primary data were collected during fieldtrips and policy analysis was carried out descriptively. Findings differentiated by spatial planning instruments, underground mining concessions, and their implications for the empirical case study of Zaruma. Results showed that mining companies capture their risks and externalities into the local development agenda, and that municipalities remain limited to corrective or reactive measures. While mining sectoral plans consider the relevance of local development plans (PDOT), we identify an instrumental vacuum across the whole “National Decentralized particularly Planning System” as for articulating sectoral planning with local PDOT. With this instrumental gap mainly at policy level, and instead of interpreting wrong-will from the strategic mining sector, the expertise in managing underground cadastres form the mining sector, as well as the option of exploring instruments like underground master plants at city level could level synergies towards coherence in development agendas as well as risk informed development across sectors and scales.

Based on 74 ore-processing plants and their energy meter's coordinates in Zaruma-Portovelo, we determined the energy consumption profiles for each ore-processing plant following the methodologies of Gonçalves (2016) and Cabezas (2016). In doing so, the total energy consumption in comminution processes was calculated. Data show a rising trend in energy consumption in ore processing in Zaruma-Portovelo. The data can be of immense use in designing sectoral reforms for transparency in the mining sector and developing cross-sectoral coordination between ARCOM and ARCONEL. The data can also help the state agencies in assessing the quantity of ore processed and preventing the leakage of revenue from the extractive sectors (Gaudry et al., 2020). Finally, the scientific community may benefit from this data, particularly those working on energy consumption, efficiency, and its forecasts in extractive sectors (Gaudry et al., 2020).

This study presents the systemisation of lessons learned from the urban sector in which the measures based on the guiding principle of risk-informed development (RID) have been implemented in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region at the national and/or sub-national levels. Despite notable risks in the region, these are not adequately considered in urban development planning and programming. Aiming at strengthening RID in the SADC region, the objectives of this peer-to-peer exchange were achieved through virtual workshops, roundtables and briefings on a cloud-based and open-source BigBlueButton Web conferencing system. Risk-based decision frameworks were used as footprints throughout the moderation phases. Peer-to-peer exchanges totalled 25 events and 80 registered individual members. About 14 SADC member states and 26 cities represented by city officials, local governments and academia participated in this process. Results along the risk-based decision frameworks lead to a clustering of recurring topics during the peer-to-peer exchange, which are presented along legal and organisational setups; budget and funding; risk assessment and mitigation options; and data and information flows considerations. Contribution: Aligned with the ‘Regional Assessment on Urban Vulnerability and Resilience in SADC Member States’ by conclusions provide a series of recommendations for risk-informed urban development in the SADC region.