Disaster Risk Planning in an Evolving Risk Landscape: Barriers and Enablers in the Integration of Land Use and Preparedness Actors

Effective disaster risk management in today’s evolving risk landscape necessitates functional collaboration between land use planners and preparedness actors, such as fire and rescue services and crisis management organisations. This study investigates barriers and enablers to such collaboration through a combined exploratory scoping study and empirical survey conducted in Sweden, revealing both contrasting and corroborating findings. In particular, while the literature predominantly emphasises barriers to collaboration, most of the survey respondents did not perceive the presence of significant barriers. Among those who did, organisational structure and size were commonly cited. Additionally, although practitioners identified resource availability as a critical enabler, this dimension remains underexplored in the literature. The corroborating findings include persistent barriers to effective collaboration, such as fragmentation, ambiguous responsibilities, limited data sharing, conflicting priorities, and differing risk perceptions. Resource limitations regarding funding, personnel, and expertise also hinder effective collaboration. The findings highlight the need for improved institutional and policy frameworks to strengthen coordinated planning and enhance resilience against emerging risks. This research contributes to disaster risk science by bridging theoretical and practical perspectives, supporting more integrated and adaptive responses to complex risk environments.