Cities at Risk

The impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans revealed vulnerabilities caused by the interaction of the city’s fragile physical environment, aging infrastructure, and declining economic and social structure. The hurricane constituted a triggering event, but the severe destruction and heavy losses documented the extraordinary costs of inadequate plans and practice, given the city’s high exposure to risk. This condition and its sobering consequences are not limited to New Orleans, but constitute a silent threat for other cities in the United States and the world. The challenge for cities is to create a new vision of vital, resilient communities that are able to assess and manage their own risk in order to limit escalating damage from extreme events.