Humanitarian assistance in post-crisis urban contexts – what have we learned so far?

13/10/2014

When there is a disaster or conflict in a city, people need a great deal of assistance of a specific nature for which the humanitarian sector is not well prepared. The vulnerabilities of urban populations are added to the deficiencies or fragilities of urban systems and services which should structure cities and make them resilient. Groupe URD has been analyzing the issues involved in post-crisis urban operations for more than ten years. Since the 2010 earthquake which hit Port-au-Prince in Haiti, there has been growing awareness about this issue and we are moving towards a paradigm shift in the humanitarian sector regarding urban assistance with the issue being debated in numerous international bodies.