THE URBAN PLANNERS' CHALLENGE

The vulnerability of urban environments remains an underdeveloped theme. The issue of security and citizen safety is of paramount importance and a growing concern with half of the world's population currently living in urban centres and with this figure set to increase to two-thirds by 2050.

In order to effectively face these challenges, urban planning teams need tools that fully encompass the pre-application process with developers/designers and that facilitate flexible solutions to potential security issues, rather than impose measures. These tools would ideally offer integrated and comprehensive support throughout all levels of the planning process, including the conceptual level (that pivots around the birth of a plan), the plan level (that deals with establishing a viable outline) and the detail level (that concerns all specifications needed to realize the plan).

VITRUV's answer
The objective of VITRUV is the development of these tools to support urban planners to consistently integrate security issues into the considerations made in the long and complex process which makes up urban planning. These tools will enable planners:

  • • to make well-considered systematic qualitative analyses with decision support (at the concept level),

  • • to analyse the susceptibility of urban spaces (e.g. building types, squares, public transport, and their functionalities) with   respect to security threats (at plan level), and

  • • to perform vulnerability analyses of urban spaces by computing the likely damage on individuals, buildings and traffic   infrastructure (at detail level) to understand the potential impact of security threats if they materialise.

All levels will contribute to enabling the development of more robust and resilient structures with respect to urban (re)planning, (re)design and/or (re)engineering. Planners who use VITRUV's tools will be able to deliver urban space less prone to and less affected by attacks and disasters, sustainably improving the security of citizens.

VITRUV is funded under the 7th Framework Programme for research and technological development under the Security theme and the specific activity of increasing the security of infrastructures and utilities.