ABSTRACT
Increasingly, the potential threat of urban terrorism in certain cities has necessitated attempts to 'design out terrorism' through the addition of advanced security design features which have to be constantly updated to keep pace with the ever-changing terrorist threat. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book highlights the need for, and the consequences of, the high-levels of security that were deployed in the City of London due to the risk of terrorism. It highlights how anti-terrorist security measures were developed and activated by a distinctive set of local governance arrangements and global processes mainly related to the economic functioning of the Square Mile. The chapter discusses contemporary risk within a specifically urban context by examining how the insurance industry has responded to this growing threat in the city through attempts to redistribute financial risk, and the insistence upon advanced risk management as a precondition to granting policy cover.
