In the context of the major disaster which shook Haiti on 12 January 2010, and drawing on work carried out in recent years on crises in cities, we decided to focus on fragility in built and urban environments and on the challenges of humanitarian and reconstruction operations in these environments.

These issues has been explored via the following topics:

  • Urban fragility and vulnerability
  • The challenges and specific characteristics of humanitarian aid in cities
  • The reconstruction process in urban environments