RISE UP for Sustainable Urban Resilience Multi-layered Vulnerability Profile for Debre Birhan City

This report, part of the RISE UP project supported by the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID), assesses multi-layered vulnerabilities in Debre Birhan, Ethiopia, focusing on climate change, urbanization, and biodiversity loss. The study highlights how rising temperatures, floods, droughts, and unplanned urban expansion disproportionately impact the urban poor in informal settlements. Using 15 spatial indicators (e.g., flood risk, NDVI, population density), the analysis identifies high-vulnerability hotspots, slums, degraded lands, and flood-prone areas, where low adaptive capacity exacerbates risks.

Debre Birhan faces severe climate threats due to its topography, rapid urbanization, and poor infrastructure. The multilayered vulnerability assessment (MVA) integrates urban, climate, and biodiversity dimensions, revealing that densely populated and informal settlements are most at risk. Key findings include:

• Urban vulnerability: Slums, industrial zones, and historical sites are highly exposed.
• Climate vulnerability: Floods, soil erosion, and temperature extremes compound risks.
• Biodiversity vulnerability: Degraded lands and low vegetation cover heighten susceptibility.

The report calls for integrated adaptation strategies - improved infrastructure, community capacity-building, and sustainable land use to enhance resilience. Prioritizing education, financing, and flood mitigation can reduce long-term risks, particularly for marginalized communities.