Designing for Disasters Before They Happen:Veronica Cedillos MIT Architecture Lecture
- Oct 12, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 20, 2021
The MIT Architecture Fall 2020 Lectures are now online, free, and open to the public. I am honored to be a featured speaker and I invite you to watch the webcast:
Click here to watch the webcast
Over 90% of disaster fatalities occur in developing countries, and natural disasters are a major driver of extreme poverty for millions around the world. What could change this stark disproportion in impacts?
There are ample examples, as well as international consensus, that proactive measures are the most effective in saving lives and protecting livelihoods. But that’s not what we see in common practice.
I’ll explain why efforts to design for resilience are more critical than ever, especially in developing urban areas.
The way we work at GeoHazards International is to take on disasters before they happen. Since 1991, we have worked in over 20 countries to mitigate impacts of earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and more recently, climate-induced hazards.
We focus on locally-appropriate mitigation and preparedness measures informed by the latest science, engineering, policy, and social science. These include risk-informed planning, disaster-resistant structures, post-event functionality of critical infrastructure like hospitals, and actionable information about how to prepare. We emphasize strengthening local capacities and we aim for local ownership of solutions so that communities can thrive despite natural hazards.
My talk will provide examples from countries where we work, and describe on-the-ground challenges, strategies for addressing them, and opportunities. I hope you enjoy the webcast.
Kind regards,
Veronica Cedillos, President and CEO
GeoHazards International
Nepal · India · Bhutan · Haiti · Dominican Republic · U.S.A.
The “post-event functionality” line is such a big deal—keeping a hospital operating after an earthquake is way more than just not collapsing, it’s water, power, access roads, staffing, all of it. Are you seeing more buy-in lately from local governments on funding those unsexy redundancies, or is it still mostly NGO-driven? Odd comparison, but thinking about “fit-for-context” design made me remember how people talk about a “soft summer color palette” on StyleLookLab —the idea that what works depends on the environment you’re actually in, not an abstract ideal.
It’s interesting that you include climate-induced hazards alongside earthquakes/tsunamis—those slower-moving risks seem harder to motivate action around because there’s no single “event day.” When you’re working with underserved communities, what’s been the most effective way to keep preparedness from feeling like an extra burden? Total tangent: the way people try to make harsh realities feel approachable reminds me of the “ghibli ai” aesthetic trend I saw on imgg , but here the goal is obviously real-world readiness, not vibes.
The emphasis on local ownership is what I keep coming back to—too many “resilience” projects feel like they’re designed to look good in reports rather than to be maintained five years later. Do you have any rules of thumb for when to prioritize retrofits vs. relocation in dense informal settlements, where both options can be politically explosive? Random aside: I’ve seen people use directories like hrefgo to “submit ai tool,” and it made me think how the discovery problem exists in disaster work too—getting the right information to the right people fast.
The stat about disaster fatalities being concentrated in developing countries is brutal, and it’s hard not to connect that to whether prevention money is even available before a headline disaster happens. When you talk about “actionable information,” do you mean household-level steps, or more like community drills and ward-level planning? Total nerd aside: the “before it happens” mindset is the opposite of obscuring things—made me think of how a simple CaesarCipher shift works, where the method is obvious but the preparation is in knowing what to do with it.
I like that you’re framing resilience as planning + governance + social capacity, not just “build stronger stuff.” It also makes me wonder how you communicate probabilities and uncertainty to residents without it sounding abstract—especially in places where day-to-day needs are already pressing. Weird tangent: thinking about planning tradeoffs reminded me of how “a quick blockblast puzzle break” on fun blockblast game can feel simple until you realize every move locks in future options, kind of like land-use decisions.