ABSTRACT
A city is dynamic – in a constant state of motion. There exists a continuous flow of goods and services, people, and information to, from and within a city. To understand a particular city, it is necessary to comprehend the underlying dynamics of the city and the surrounding area. The capacity to rebuild and recover after catastrophic change and loss depends on our ability to analyse those situations where the forms of physical architecture have changed faster than collective comprehension. Catastrophic change, instability of meaning, reconstruction and unintended harm does not pertain strictly to natural disasters and war. Change is a constant feature everywhere, and increasingly it happens at the accelerated rate associated with disaster. Society's physical, architectural Umwelt consists of physical infrastructure such as transport, water treatment, sanitation, telecommunication, energy supply as well as buildings and the general urban fabric.
