Big ideas for resilient cities

The emergency services take a lead role in creating resilient cities, especially in times of natural disasters.

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC arranged for the Commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, Katarina Carroll, to take part in a public discussion in Brisbane last month that was recorded by the ABC Big Ideas program.

Five years ago, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre was under water. The tally of costs of the 2011 Queensland floods was high: more than 30 people died; at least 200,000 were severely affected and the 40,000 individual insurance claims for over $1.5 billion were just the start of the economic impact.

A first-time voter at this year's federal election will have lived through the 10 warmest years on record - over half their lives. Global temperature rises and increasing urbanisation spell major changes for our cities and those that plan, build and manage engaged in innovation for better, more resilient cities.

 At the CRC Association annual conference in Brisbane in March the ABC Radio's Paul Barclay hosted a conversation with a panel of experts tasked with planning our cities of the future and coping with managing those cities and communities when disaster hits.

 The Resilient Cities panellists were:

• Katarina Carroll PSM, Commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
• Tony Wong, Chief Executive, CRC for Water Sensitive Cities
• Helen Lochhead, Dean of the Built Environment, University of NSW
• Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University in WA

The full discussion is now on the ABC Big Ideas website.