The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Afghanistan (AKAH) goal is that people live in safe, sustainable, and resilient habitats with the opportunity to thrive, whether in a remote mountain village, a town, or a densely populated urban centre.
It works with communities to help them prepare for and respond to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
Aga Khan also works to expand access to services and opportunity for people to improve their life.
AKAH helps communities prepare for the worst; provides immediate relief after disaster strikes; and helps build back better — and greener — while planning for a better future.
AKAH currently operates in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Pakistan and India, with plans to expand further in Central Asia as well as East Africa.
Habitat Planning
We work with communities to plan how to make their neighbourhoods, villages and towns safer and resilient and create opportunities for future generations.
Our Habitat Planning Framework integrates rural and urban planning best practices; national, regional and local plans and policies; community level plans and knowledge; and hazard, land-use, socio-economic and demographic data.
We also use a Habitat Assessment Tool to assess site vulnerability and risk to multiple natural hazards; access to infrastructure; land use patterns; land suitability; environmental, demographic and socio-economic data; and housing and building stock footprints and design. Together, we then put this information into practice, creating, implementing and monitoring the designs.
Pul e Khumri
In early 2021 the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat conducted an urban habitat assessment looking at seismic and other natural hazard risks, building stock vulnerability and land use and zoning in Pul e Khumri, the capital and largest city of Baghlan Province, Afghanistan.
Using these assessments AKAH has developed a risk-sensitive land use plan for the city, accounting for seismic hazards, water resources, drought sensitivity and other geological, hydrological and climate hazards.
The plan categorises land use for residential, mixed-use, services and green and conservation zones based on hazard, climatic and socio-economic data.
Building on this land use plan through a participatory process engaging key stakeholders, AKAH developed a set of policies, recommendations and action plans to strengthen the city’s resilience to multiple natural disasters and human crises.
Together these measures will inform a resilient master plan for risk-sensitive, low-carbon development. This is the first experience using risk-sensitive land use planning in urban areas in Afghanistan.more…..
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