With the increasing frequency and severity of extreme events, it has become essential to build resilient systems and communities that can withstand and recover from their effects.

This event, organised by ARU’s Sustainable Futures research theme, aims to bring together experts and professionals from around the globe to share knowledge and practical insights on how to prepare for and respond to extreme events.

You’ll have an excellent opportunity to network, establish new partnerships, and share your own experiences and best practices.

The event is structured around three main themes:

Cultural Heritage

Heritage-led interventions and sustainable innovation can ensure agency and empowered communities – and their places are more resilient and sustainable, as well as contributing to safeguarding culture and heritage from natural hazards.

This session provides an opportunity to engage with disaster resilience thinking and practice across multiple specialisations towards a more participatory and sustainable management of heritage and culture in line with the Faro Convention and the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Healthcare

Natural hazards stretch healthcare systems. During the covid pandemic, hospitals were often forced to cancel elective operations, develop new work approaches, and redeploy staff to treat infected patients and limit infection rates, whilst maintaining the most urgent operations.

Healthcare services are still in a challenging, but also potentially ground-breaking position to re-think the way they are designed and operated. This session brings together experts from the USA and Turkey to share knowledge and experience.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the backbone of modern society and plays a vital role in ensuring our safety, security, and well-being. However, extreme events such as natural disasters, pandemics, and terrorist attacks can severely impact critical infrastructure systems, causing significant economic, social, and environmental damage.

Building resilient infrastructure that can withstand and recover from the effects of extreme events is therefore crucial to ensuring the continuity of essential services and the long-term sustainability of our communities.