Title: An introduction to the Special Issue: An overview, history and context for the consideration of risk in the built environment

Authors: Ross B. Corotis

Addresses: Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA

Abstract: Especially since the terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001, the public has become much more enlightened regarding the trade-off of risk and security among choices of investment in communities. This introductory paper suggests that this is an important time to share the broader, comparative issues of structural safety with respect to risk assessment and management in the built environment, i.e. the civil constructions that constitute the physical structures and infrastructure of communities. The particular aim is to share with the larger risk community the significant context of current risk views that are the culmination of research that began about 50 years ago on the safety of individual structures and infrastructure systems.

Keywords: built environment; civil construction; infrastructure; risk assessment; risk calibration; risk management; risk perception; risk trade-offs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2007.014657

International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2007 Vol.7 No.6/7, pp.759 - 772

Published online: 23 Jul 2007 *

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