The world's population is growing at an explosive rate. Much of this growth is taking place in urban settings, especially lower- and medium-income cities. By some estimates, cities and their peripheries in at least 50 so-called fragile countries are systematically affected by situations of chronic violence.

And yet individual cities respond in different ways to urban violence. Put another way, there are varying patterns and degrees of "resilience." The Urban Resilience in Situations of Chronic Violence (URCV) project considers precisely how formal and informal institutions and actors in cities cope with violence. It asks how basic services are provided, adapt, or disappear in contexts of chronic collective and inter-personal violence.

Principle URCV partners include MIT (IDG), the University of Utrecht (CTR) and the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) in Geneva, Switzerland. With a wide network of collaborators, the project aims to provide a greater knowledge base on the dynamics of urban resilience in situations of violence and insecurity with a view of assisting policy makers, urban planners and practitioners think about how best to assist.