Well-attended public Kick-off and Closing Conferences were organised (WP1).
An extensive literature review on the State of the Art on culture, disaster management and cities was carried out and a ‘guiding questions manual’ has been developed to introduce the city cases to the most important topics relating to culture and disaster management. We analysed case histories to understand how history shapes current attitudes to and perceptions of disaster management. We developed a methodology for identifying cultural memory and using it as an asset in DRR (WP2).
We carried out a literature review on social capital and DRR, also to identify the most suitable methods to be implemented in the pilot cities to better comprehend the complexity of the networks of interaction taking place during an emergency in two participant cities, L’Aquila and Lorca, in implementing the Social Network Analysis in order to map and investigate the network of interactions. The analysis allows local decision makers to identify the main weakness of the network of interactions among institutional actors and between the official responders and the local community (WP3).
We built on existing research to explain what culture means in the context of learning processes in DRR. One workshop aimed to generate improved understanding of the role of culture in disaster risk reduction bringing together practitioners and researchers to share experiences and deliberate on some of the emerging insights and findings based on work in case sites. A second workshop focused on the role of gatekeepers and volunteers. We produced synthesis briefs on both (WP4).
We worked with the cities, stakeholders and end-users to analyse the core aspects of interaction between the hard and soft infrastructure in and around disasters which makes cities differentially vulnerable or resilient. We developed methodologies to identify the interactions between hard and soft infrastructure during a crisis with the goal to orient DRR more to the different cultures within a city and make better use of the assets brought by the different cultures (WP 5).
We reviewed existing gaming tools and ways of using them in DRR activities. An annotated list of existing policy exercises, simulations and games was developed to improves disaster preparedness and response actions. New rather than adapted games were created and published online for wide audience for free use. This includes an Evacuation Challenge Game and a Policy Exercise on Flood Management, devised for the Lorca case study in order to make it applicable to other contexts (WP6).
We developed specific activities in the cities participating in EDUCEN consortium, involving local communities and institutions into the application of the methodologies and testing of tools, policy exercises and serious games. We developed an overall Mutual learning design, based on a 3 learning loops process which transfers methods across EDUCEN cities and to cities non participating in the EDUCEN consortium (WP7).
In sum we organized:
* EDUCEN website (
http://www.educenproject.eu/(opens in new window))
* Workshops
* Social Media Tools (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube also featuring webinars)
* Establishing and strengthening networks and Multi-loop learning
* (Scientific) Publications & Policy briefs
* Promotion and dissemination material (general and for specific audiences such as DRR responders, local governments and policy makers) in the form of e.g. leaflets, booklets and newsletters
* Printed handbook (complementary to online version
http://educen.cultureanddisaster.eu/(opens in new window))
