On the Vulnerability and Reliability of Towns and Cities

Horváth, Attila and Csaba, Zágon (2012) On the Vulnerability and Reliability of Towns and Cities. In: Development of the Settlement Network in the Central European Countries. Sringer, Berlin, Heidelberg, DE, pp. 299-312. ISBN 9783642203138

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Abstract

The almost uncountable infrastructural and other system elements make citizens’ life easier in post-modern societies. Normally these are all considered as obvious. Liveable urban places, their competitiveness and appreciation depends highly on the quality of the services available, such as the quality of public administration, finance system, energetic networks, economic capabilities, urban transportation systems, social entertainment, sport and recreation facilities and the like. The vulnerability of cities and their exposure to terrorist attacks arose after the 9/11 attacks. It give rise to many thoughts and associations if metropolises like New York, Washington DC, Tokyo, London, Paris, Madrid, Mumbai, New-Delhi, Bagdad, Istanbul, Athens are mentioned and since then, terrorism has become a frequent part of their obvious associations. How vulnerable urban services can be that are now essential parts of their urban life? This study attempts to look beyond the terrorist threats of metropolises, cities and towns and points out their defenseless exposures against their own infrastructural systems. Although an average city in Central-Europe has fortunately low risks from such points of view, other risk sources, however, like accidents, natural disasters, and civilisation-based catastrophes are also retraceable. The authors attempt to find answers about why urban studies in Central-Europe do not pay necessary attention to the city’s vulnerability analyses like their counterparts in the Western Countries do.

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