Disaster Interventions as Development Innovations? Networking Responses (Resilience at Risk #4)

Disasters affect the most vulnerable, and the most vulnerable can often fall outside of government safety nets, planning and aid. The dominant sustainability discourse highlights the importance of inclusive cities, but the reality is many are excluded. When government reach is out of reach, how do some regional and local communities fill the gaps to become more resilient? Can disasters interventions be re-designed as development innovations, reflecting better the realities of people’s lives, their social networks, and needed partnerships for change?

Discussants are Dr Ronak Patel, Director of Urbanization and Resilience Program at the Harvard humanitarian Initiative and Professor Meg Keen, Director of the Australia Pacific Security College at the Australian National University.