Urban system is a complex system where external events that are not always seen in the closed system model are evidenced, and the impact of the internal changes can be seen in the urban area. Usually, when planning for the future, we need to collect information and analyze it rationally in order to control unexpected events. How proper strategies can be developed to deal with external uncertainty and shocks that transcend the imagination of policy makers is an important question in the field of urban planning.

The vulnerability of Indian cities to the vagaries of nature has become quite intense in the recent past. While calamities-natural as well as man-made-have ravaged mankind since time immemorial, it is the concentration of population and property in modern cities which has made things worse for urban citizens. This has entailed the need to look at urban risks in their entirety. Starting from the Gujarat earthquake in 2001 to the Tsunami in Chennai and the recent floods in Mumbai and Baroda, all have resulted in large-scale loss of life and property.

On the other hand, there are man-made risks of law and order like riots, strikes and the larger political risk of terrorism looming large over our cities. If the 9/11 tragedy and recent London bomb blasts are any indication, metros worldwide, with India as no exception, are fast emerging as targets of terrorism.

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