ABSTRACT
The ability of the built environment to withstand the impacts of extreme events and to meet the needs of urban populations during the aftermath of a disaster is a key element in how society can recover from traumatic events. Many efforts to deal with natural hazards have focused on changing the physical attributes of structures, while less attention has been paid to effecting needed change within specific social, political, cultural and economic environments.20 The consequence is that the people who were the intended beneficiaries of apparent advances in both technical knowledge and policies have sometimes become steadily more vulnerable.
