Terror and the City

In recent years many of the world’s major cities have had first-hand experience dealing with the prevention or aftermath of deadly terrorist attacks. With improved capabilities and knowledge, most local authorities are becoming better at tackling terrorist threats and dealing with the consequences of such attacks. But with urban terrorism - especially high-profile but low-tech attacks - expected to continue, national and local governments must do more to minimise the risks of lethal attacks and ensure a quicker bounce-back when they (inevitably) occur. This requires local policies and actions to boost the resilience of individuals, neighbourhoods, communities, businesses and institutions so that they can survive, adapt, and grow in the face of terrorism. Also, as urban terrorism tears down rigid divisions between the developed and developing countries, the focus must be on ensuring a concerted and coordinated response to urban terror among cities worldwide. This can be done through the sharing of knowledge, experience, and the adoption of best practices. Working together on how urban systems plan for, respond and adapt to crises and shocks can help foster cross-sectoral resilience across the world. - How can urban planning be improved to help mitigate new forms of terrorist attacks? - Can information-sharing, cooperation and collaboration be encouraged at the local, regional and national levels to secure a more preventive, agile and flexible response to violent terrorism? - What role is there for the private sector to foster resilience in cities? Should terror awareness and resilience be part of civic education? Speakers included: Shpend Ahmeti, Mayor of Pristina, Kosovo* Paul Argyle, Strategic Advisor for Fire & Resilience to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester and Member of the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities programme Camino Mortera-Martinez, Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform Emmanuelle Pierrard, Head for Energy, Transport and Public Sector at Nokia Benelux Moderated by Dharmendra Kanani, Director of Strategy at Friends of Europe