Official Launch of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment at the 2010 CIB World Congress, Salford, UK

Citation

(2010), "Official Launch of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment at the 2010 CIB World Congress, Salford, UK", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 1 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijdrbe.2010.43501cab.001

Official Launch of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment at the 2010 CIB World Congress, Salford, UK

Article Type: News From: International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Volume 1, Issue 3

Official launch of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment (IJDRBE)

IJDRBE was officially launched at the CIB World Congress, Salford Quays, UK, held from 10-13 May 2010, an occasion witnessed by over 600 delegates.

The 2010 CIB World Congress focused on Building a Better World. The construction and built environment sectors are already hugely important to achieving a world in which people are properly housed, in which buildings and transport systems support the efficient operation of our economies and in which people are happy and healthy. In making it better, connecting and channeling the full capacities of the construction and built environment industries to meet the needs of the human race, head on, will transform the world, for us and for future generations. In this context, the CIB World Congress provided a platform to learn about the state-of-the-art in markets, research and innovation linked to construction and the built environment. The Congress included high-profile presentations by leading authorities and thought leaders; trend reports covering a wide range of disciplines; perspectives on national and regional markets around the world; and the latest academic papers from every corner of the global built environment research community.

Hundreds of researchers from around the world met at the Congress, representing a strong multi-disciplinary mix of over 40 CIB Working Commissions and Task Groups and, as well as running their own academic streams, they supported a range of other activities, including responding to global challenges from bodies such as the UN, OECD, WHO and EC.

The need to develop the skills and knowledge of the built environment researchers and professions working in disaster-prone areas, so that they may strengthen their capacity in strategic and practical aspects of disaster prevention, mitigation, response and reconstruction, was identified as a major theme of the CIB World Congress and supported through identification of a major plenary session to discuss the latest developments in the field.

Celebrations commenced with the delivery of a key note address by Professor Samantha Hettiarachchi, UNISDR Specialist Advisor on Disaster Risk Reduction (UN) about “Planning and implementing strategic mitigation measures”. The address was followed by a discussion on the need to identify ways to develop the capacities of major stakeholders involved in disaster risk reduction in the built environment.

Dr Richard Haigh, Joint Editor of the Journal, then introduced IJDRBE as a forum for novel enquiries into the development and application of new and emerging practices, as a source of innovation to challenge current practices and also in prompting and exchanging ideas between researchers, educators, practitioners and policy makers. Richard Haigh concluded by thanking the Editorial Board and Emerald Publishing for their support during the journal’s inception.

Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga went on to introduce the programme of research papers for disasters and built environment, including dedicated streams for experienced and postgraduate researchers. The large number of papers published at the World Congress, 32 in total, was highlighted as growing recognition of a need to establish a sound theoretical base for disaster management in emphasising its position as a serious academic discipline.

Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga concluded the plenary by announcing the winners of Best Paper Awards, sponsored by IJDRBE and selected by a committee of international experts. The winners were announced as:

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  Award for Disasters and the Built Environment Best Paper, “Resilience strategies of healthcare facilities: present and future”, by Nebil Achour and Andrew D.F. Price, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK.

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  Award for Disasters and the Built Environment Best Paper Written by a Postgraduate Researcher, “Policy implications of integration of disaster risk reduction to infrastructure reconstruction”, by Roshani Palliyaguru, Dilanthi Amaratunga and Richard Haigh, School of the Built Environment, The University of Salford, Salford, UK.

During the subsequent technical sessions, experienced researchers from around the world delivered presentations on state-of-the-art research in disaster mitigation, preparedness, relief and sustainable reconstruction. There were further presentations from postgraduate researchers in the field, bringing together the International Postgraduate Community to present and discuss their emerging research in disaster mitigation and reconstruction. The more we know about the causes and consequences of disasters on societies and on our built environment, the more we are able to be better prepared to respond, to rebuild and to reduce risks. In this context, these sessions aimed to bring together scientific research about disasters and the built environment in such a way that it can be communicated to those who are responsible for policy making international organisations or government entities.