Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of geoenvironmental disasters, and India is one of the most affected countries. In India, the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) exhibits particularly high disaster vulnerability due to its fragile Himalayan ecology, complex geomorphology, and rapid urban transformation. Several studies have examined hydrological, geological, and socio-economic dimensions of disaster risk in the region, however, the role of urban morphology has not been systematically synthesized. To fill this gap, this review advances a morphology-centred perspective on disaster risk by integrating a thematic synthesis of empirical and policy-oriented literature and a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed publications. The thematic assessment examines how settlement patterns, land-use change, building density, street network configuration, infrastructure condition, and indigenous construction practices are associated with disaster vulnerability. While the bibliometric analysis maps research trends, institutional concentration, and thematic gaps in disaster-related research across J&K. The synthesis reveals that unplanned urban expansion, wetland and floodplain encroachment, high-density development, constrained street networks, and ageing infrastructure are consistently associated with elevated disaster impacts. Despite growing scholarly attention, only a limited number of studies explicitly address urban morphological determinants, indicating a persistent gap. By consolidating fragmented evidence, this review highlights urban form as a foundational determinant in shaping exposure, evacuation capacity, emergency response, and recovery potential in hazard-prone areas. It identifies key policy-relevant insights and outlines forward-looking research directions. These findings underscore the need to embed urban morphology within disaster risk reduction, spatial planning, and sustainability agendas in J&K and other similar regions.
Verma et al. (2026) studied this question.