Workshop: The Past and the Future of Resilience in Theory and Practice

In today's rapidly evolving urban landscape, urban resilience takes center stage as cities face various challenges and potential disasters. Like living organisms, cities require ongoing care and attention to thrive, encompassing the principles of upkeep and restoration.

Communities are the lifeblood of urban environments, and their well-being is directly related to the functionality and resilience of urban infrastructure.  Jose Ramirez-Marquez will show recent work that explores how enhancing urban resilience relates to understanding the intricate interaction between communities and city infrastructure. Moreover, in our increasingly digital world, the role of social media cannot be overstated.

While social media platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for communication and connectivity, they also present unique challenges. The spread of misinformation or the misuse of information on these platforms can pose significant threats to urban resilience. Therefore, understanding community behavior on social media platforms is essential for mitigating these risks and building resilient cities. 

By embracing cities as living environments that require ongoing nurturing, maintenance, and restoration, we can cultivate urban resilience and create safer, more sustainable urban spaces for future generations.

In his talk, Matieu Dahan will consider the problem of designing large-scale resilient relay logistics networks by locating logistics hubs to optimize resilience metrics based on demand-weighted k shortest (edge-disjoint) path lengths between each origin-destination pair.

Dahan and his colleagues derive mixed-integer programming formulations using path and edge decisions, and leverage their structures to devise two tailored scalable solution methodologies based on Benders decomposition and branch-and-price. He will showcase the applicability of their methodology in designing large-scale resilient relay networks for a China-based parcel delivery partner.

Results demonstrate that the designed networks significantly outperform traditional lean network designs when confronted with stochastic hub disruptions, with only marginal impact on operating costs in nominal situations. This work was done in collaboration with Onkar Kulkarni and Benoit Montreuil.

In this presentation, Roos Meilink, Chief Resilience Officer, Den Haag Municipality, will delve into the crucial aspect of translating theoretical concepts of urban resilience into actionable strategies for real-world implementation.

Drawing from both academic research and practical experiences,  she will highlight key challenges and opportunities in bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and practical application. Through case studies and best practices, Meilink aims to provide valuable insights into fostering resilience in urban infrastructure and communities.