It is assumed that the impact of natural and man-made hazards on society in terms of damage is constantly increasing. In order to reduce the levels of potential disaster and to assess which policies and measures can generate positive impacts, it is necessary to make a careful comparison of experiences at an international scale in risk mitigation and management. The international scenario of calamitous events that still characterise all areas of the globe is deepened together with the experiences of the earthquakes and floods that have affected the Pianura Padana area and the central regions of Italy in the last ten years, included in the training project Academy "After the Damages". Following the results published in the first volume Built Heritage in Post-Disaster Scenarios, Heritage at Risk aims to continue the debate on recent innovations and advances in risk management to contribute to the definition of strategies and the implementation of increasingly effective tools in terms of risk mitigation. The volume provides insights into the dynamics and negative effects of natural and man-made hazards (i.e., earthquakes, fires, floods, droughts, and volcanic eruptions), including more updated approaches to deal with post-disaster phases. The book also offers tools to deal with possible international crisis scenarios and mitigate the social impact of vulnerabilities through risk reduction. Heritage at Risk is aimed at public administration managers, government agency representatives, international organizations, researchers, and professionals in architecture, engineering, and earth science. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
