VITRUV – Vulnerability Identification Tools for Resilience Enhancements of Urban Environments

Citizen urban security and safety is of paramount importance and a growing concern. Half of the world’s population already live in urban centres and this figure is projected to rise to two thirds by 2050. Safer cities are better cities with increased life quality. Urban planning needs the tools to incorporate systematic, comprehensive, transparent and proactive approaches to identify actual or potential vulnerable areas and to increase urban resilience for threats such as terrorism, general crime and social instability. The tools are needed for both existing areas and those to be planned in the future.

The Fraunhofer Ernst-Mach-Institute (EMI) is leading the development of an innovative system for increased integration of security considerations within urban planning: VITRUV - Vulnerability Identification Tools for Resilience Enhancements of Urban Environments. The project started in 2011 and is co-funded by the EU under the Seventh Framework Programme. EMI has teamed-up with eleven urban planning, security and technology specialists from across Europe, including relevant potential end users such as the London Borough of Southwark, the Province of Bologna and the West Yorkshire Police Authority.