Resilience, the ultimate sustainability: Lessons from failing to develop a stronger and safer built environment

Over the past century the US invested enormous resources in its built environment, yet it now finds major segments of it increasingly failing to stand up against natural hazards, according to a new eBook that traces the history of US investment to uncover the root causes of its present vulnerability. It explains the roles and relationships of government, professionals and the private sector and how these underlying causes continue to drive non-resilience to this very day.

The new eBook, "Resilience - The Ultimate Sustainability: Lessons from Failing to Develop a Stronger and Safer Built Environment" is set to be released just before the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai, Japan. In this book the US becomes a learning case study to help the rest of the world better understand what 'to do' and 'not to do' when it comes to resilience.

The author, Aris Papadopoulos, relies on decades of buildings-related experience to shine a light and demystify how the 'system' actually works. He uses language that is both relevant and relatable for everyone. The book concludes with 30 lessons applicable to any country seeking resilience, particularly for those who anticipate major built environment investments in the coming decades.

It will be available online the week before the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) conference in Sendai.

About the Author
Aris Papadopoulos is the past chair of the UNISDR-Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) and recently retired as CEO of Titan America. This is his first eBook.