The mountainous state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas is experiencing population growth and undergoing a process of rapid urbanization. This is causing concern, because the Uttarakhand Himalayas are exposed to multiple natural hazards and are vulnerable to climate change extremes. Mountain municipalities in Uttarakhand are typically small and lack the human and financial resources to address risk in the rapidly emerging built form. This article takes stock of the current risk knowledge among formal and informal actors involved in the urban development process. It does this through document analysis, 150 household surveys, and 24 key informant interviews in the small but rapidly urbanizing town of Almora. Results indicate that formal knowledge, encoded in building bylaws and land use plans, do not sufficiently address risk and are not adopted by households. In practice, households rely largely on informal building professionals in determining their developmental decisions. However, informal building professionals lack the training and skills to address risk in the built form. This article makes a case for acknowledging informal building professionals and practices and provides recommendations for consolidating them in the developmental process through training and education.

中文翻译：

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夹在岩石和坚硬的地方：北阿坎德邦喜马拉雅山的正式和非正式城市风险知识

印度喜马拉雅山北阿坎德邦的山区正在经历人口增长和快速城市化进程。这引起了人们的担忧，因为北阿坎德邦喜马拉雅山面临多种自然灾害，并且容易受到极端气候变化的影响。北阿坎德邦的山区自治市通常规模较小，缺乏人力和财力资源来应对迅速兴起的建筑形式中的风险。本文评估了参与城市发展过程的正式和非正式参与者当前的风险知识。它通过文件分析、150 个住户调查和 24 次关键知情人访谈在这个小而快速城市化的阿尔莫拉镇做到这一点。结果表明，在建筑章程和土地使用计划中编码的正式知识，没有充分解决风险，也没有被家庭采用。在实践中，家庭主要依靠非正式的建筑专业人士来决定他们的发展决策。然而，非正式建筑专业人士缺乏应对建筑形式风险的培训和技能。本文提出了承认非正式建筑专业人士和实践的案例，并提供了通过培训和教育在发展过程中巩固他们的建议。