Program Leader: Prof. John Handmer
Program Manager: Dr Damian Grenfell

How can cities harness their immense resources to cope with crises, insecurities and processes of reconstruction?

Metropolitan spatial concentrations are the focus of human creativity and desire. They are able to harness immense resources to cope with crises, and are able to project themselves to the world through being the focal point for international media and politics. However, they are also concentrations of diverse and often conflicting cultures, sources of insecurity from natural, technological and social agents. The sense of insecurity has been made more acute by globalized violence and the War on Terror. Our immediate region provides numerous examples. We are frequently reminded that Australia is situated within an ‘arc of instability’; and the massive destruction and resilience of Asian communities following the recent tsunami is an instance of disaster striking at cities from environmental forces that go a long way beyond the locale or immediate region. Disasters have the proven capacity to halt development in poorer cities. This Program will focus on the pathways for recovering from conflict, building resilience and reducing disaster vulnerability. This can be achieved by understanding and building on the strengths of cities and working to reduce the forces promoting violence and vulnerability to disaster. For many cities in our region, and throughout the world, this is a key factor in any hope of sustainability.