The Challenge:

Promoting resilient cities and regions

Cities and regions Urban flows

The importance of cities to the economy, growth, and political development is critical. Both individuals, and the society as a whole, are dependent upon well functioning cities. This situation is reinforced as the earth becomes more and more urbanized.

Here, the steady flow of people, money, goods, services, energy, and information is fundamental. Disrupted or interrupted flows can be not only irritating, but also very costly. This kind of crisis can also escalate to a total collapse, where even basic conditions like safety and democracy break down. Therefore, these flows are the lifeblood of modern society, and we need skilled management to guarantee their unhindered flow.

To realize this, development of knowledge, education, and training has to be done in collaboration between all groups interdependent upon each other. This calls for modern, efficient, and innovative training solutions today, for the purpose of promoting safer and more resilient cities and regions in the future.

 

Society is changing at breakneck speed

The world of today is an urbanized world. More than half the world population lives in large cities, which account for more than 80 percent of world gross domestic product. And urbanization is increasing: in 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in large cities.

 

As cities and populations grow in this manner, the pressure on the environment increases, as so too does our dependence on well-functioning flows for people and companies. Society’s various parts have quite simply become more dependent upon each other in order that our modern lives will effectively function. This is efficient when it works, but also makes us increasingly vulnerable to disruptions and interruptions.

 

 

Cities & regions:

Cities become more and more important for future global growth

Many large cities in the world have a tremendous impact on their domestic economies and on the global economy.

Some cities’ share of their national GDP.

Cities and urban regions are growing, not only in terms of population. They also account for an increasing share of the global economy, growth, and innovation. At the same time, they consume a large portion of the Earth’s resources and account for a large share of the pollution.

The most important role for cities is, however, as centers for the entire society. This is where the resources, expertise, and capacity can reach the critical mass needed to realize, for example, a robust and sustainable society.

Cities have advantages of scale, even from a resources perspective; the cost of basic services such as housing, water and education are between 30 and 50 percent lower here than in rural countryside areas.
Read more in the McKinsey Global Institute report ”Urban world” (Pdf)

 

Training to ensure the functions

Traditionally, training for societal security has been a matter of providing educated and well-trained emergency services. Today, many more actors are of importance to society’s functions. All of them – those newly entering their respective fields as well as experienced professionals – need innovative training solutions to ensure the functions of cities and regions. These solutions have to apply not only the normal, regional risk profile, but also global experience and knowledge, in order to prepare for the unthinkable.

 

 

 

Urban flows:

Urban flows are vulnerable – and critically essential for daily life

Today’s large cities and urban regions are completely dependent upon efficiently functioning flows, both within themselves and between themselves. The infrastructure and flows have one thing in common: they are under constant pressure – under “normal” circumstances as well as during crises and natural or man-made disasters. Regardless the cause of the problem, with increased complexity and interconnectedness comes increased vulnerability, and when flows do not function, it is quickly this that becomes the main problem – not demolished houses, disease or injured people.

The flow between the world’s cities is, in today’s globalized world, probably more extensive and more intense than ever before.