War in Cities: Lessons Learnt for the New Century of Urban Disasters

The challenges encountered by the humanitarian sector in Port-au-
Prince (Haiti) after the 12 January 2010 earthquake and in Lybian and
Syrian cities in 2011/2012 underlined the difficulties of working in urban
settings. Not only are urban settings complex, multi-layered and often
dangerous, but they are also alien to mainstream humanitarian agencies.
Technical solutions are often not at hand, and with their methods still
largely based on rural contexts and camps, humanitarian organisations do
not have sufficient understanding of urban contexts. In view of the
challenges posed by increased global urbanization, the author calls for a
paradigm shift in order to ensure that relevant humanitarian aid is being
given in cities affected by war.