BEYOND THE BLUEPRINT: NAVIGATING THE GAPS IN DAVAO CITY'S DISASTER RISK REDUCTION FRAMEWORK (A RESEARCH ON THE CHALLENGES OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT (DRRM) IN THE HIGHLY URBANIZED CITY OF DAVAO)

Rapid urbanization intensifies disaster risk, particularly in developing countries where governance systems
struggle to keep pace with spatial expansion, informal settlements, and climate-induced hazards. Davao City
exemplifies these challenges. This study conducts a PRISMA-guided systematic review of global, regional, and
Philippine literature on governance gaps in urban disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), using the
Disaster Risk Governance Framework as the analytical lens.
Searches were conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and UNDRR
repositories. Studies published between 2015 and 2024 were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion
criteria. A thematic synthesis mapped findings to three governance pillars: (1) institutional and legal frameworks,
(2) coordination and participation, and (3) risk-informed development.
From 2,184 records identified, 72 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three dominant themes emerged: (1) persistent
policy fragmentation and weak institutional mandates; (2) vertical and horizontal coordination failures; and (3)
chronic gaps in land-use planning, climate adaptation, and integration of risk information into development
decisions. Urban DRRM effectiveness is fundamentally a governance issue. Strengthening institutional coherence,
multi-level coordination, and risk-informed planning is essential for building resilience in rapidly urbanizing cities
like Davao.