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Landslide risk management in Hong Kong

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Abstract

The combination of dense urban development, hilly terrain, and intense seasonal rainfall has caused acute landslide problems in Hong Kong, which are manifested by a death toll of over 470 people since the late 1940s. Tackling landslide problems in an urban setting, in particular under the effect of climate change, calls for a development and implementation of a holistic risk management strategy. It entails the use of engineering and non-engineering approaches, involving policy, legislative, administrative, innovation, technical, educational, community-based, and emergency-preparedness provisions. In this paper, these two approaches are showcased by the slope safety system that has been developed and promulgated in managing landslide risk for building Hong Kong as a world-class smart city.

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Correspondence to Raymond W. M. Cheung.

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This paper is published with the permission of the Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office and the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

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Cheung, R.W.M. Landslide risk management in Hong Kong. Landslides 18, 3457–3473 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01587-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01587-0

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