Designing Future Disasters provides an alternative and sustainable way to view, study, and manage hazards in the United States that would result in disaster-resilient communities, higher environmental quality, inter- and intragenerational equity, economic sustainability, and improved quality of life. This volume provides an overview of what is known about natural hazards, disasters, recovery, and mitigation; how research findings have been translated into policies and programs; and a sustainable hazard mitigation research agenda. Also provided is an examination of disaster losses and hazards management over the past 20 years, including factors -- demographic, climate, social -- that influence loss. This volume summarizes and lays the foundation on which other books in the series will build.