An ever increasing urbanization of the world's population is generating enhanced pressure on those cities to deliver services effectively, efficiently and sustainably, while keeping their citizens safe, healthy, prosperous and well‐informed. In response, the language of resilience is now widely incorporated in the academic world, amongst policy makers and practioners and even within the popular media.
The Resilient Cities Laboratory (ResCityLab) at the University of Warwick is a research grouping which co-ordinates and facilitates social science-based research into the study of future challenges facing urban areas. The ResCityLab is integrated into the University's research framework for the advancement of ‘Urban Science’ through active engagement with the Warwick Institute for the Science of Cities (WISC) and a range of international academic and business partners.
The Resilient Cities Lab leads a Europe wide research team to bring together communities, policing and policy makers to tackle how to protect the public on social media, and use social media to tackle crime and the fear of crime, while also preserving the freedoms offered by that social media.
Institutional inertia amongst a range of built environment professions is often a barrier to the collaborative working required to deliver urban resilience. Jon Coaffee argues that there is a key role that education and training to play in better aligning effort in this crucial area.
