Despite advancements, Smart Cities encounter hazards. Smart Cities’ higher reliance on interconnected systems and networks makes them susceptible to risks beyond conventional ones, leading to cascading effects. Hence, the effective use of technological innovations is vital. This effective use involves understanding the existing use of technology innovations for resilience making in Smart Cities and the wise utilisation of them as suitable for different contexts. However, there is a research gap for a fundamental study that synthesises the emerging and disruptive technologies that are being used to improve the disaster resilience in Smart Cities and how they can be classified. Therefore, this research aimed to address that need, so that a Smart City evaluating the technologies/tools for disaster resilience could wisely utilise the available resources and prioritise the most suitable for their context-specific needs. Following a comprehensive literature review, the study identified 24 technologies and/or tools for creating, sustaining, and enhancing the resilience within Smart Cities. In doing so, they should collect and manage citywide geodata and foster public participation. While the wise utilisation of the most suitable and feasible tools and technologies is a measure of smartness in a Smart City, the findings suggested four key factors with which these technologies could be assessed. These four factors included impact on society, the adoption speed by Smart Cities, the maturity of the technology, and the capabilities offered to the community.

In broader terms, a Smart City improves the quality of life of its citizens through the effective use of innovative (digital) solutions. While innovative Smart City solutions keep growing, attention has been paid to resilience-making within Smart Cities, recognising that disasters are unavoidable. In light of the characteristics of a Smart City (smartness requirements) being inchoate and vague, different Smart Cities develop their own smartness criteria. Regardless of the Smart City type, smartness criteria need to adequately embed resilience. Integrating the resilience concept provides a strategic direction for Smart Cities and there is a significant positive relationship between the two concepts, Smart Cities, and urban resilience. Although Smart Cities are increasingly growing in popularity all around the world, there is a lack of research to guide a Smart City to define its smartness reflecting on disaster resilience. This paper intends to address this research gap by setting out a set of smartness criteria (with particular reference to urban (city) resilience) which should compulsorily feature in any type of Smart City that desires to be resilient. The study undertakes a systematic literature review to provide a new dimension, depth, and value to existing research discoveries. The findings are presented by structuring ten urban (city) resilience dimensions built upon six Smart City dimensions: smart economy, smart governance, smart people, smart mobility, smart living, and smart environment. Our findings make a niche contribution to knowledge by guiding Smart Cities that intend to build, enhance, and/or sustain resilience, to develop smartness criteria/smart characteristics reflecting on urban resilience. The research outcomes will be of large importance to Smart City policymakers, administrators, project managers, etc. to efficiently manage extreme events timely with optimal resource allocation and will be of specific interest to all the stakeholders (for instance, the innovators) in a Smart City ecosystem who may use the research outcomes as a decision-making tool.

Purpose: The financial and economic risks associated with high-rise building projects are many. They make project stakeholders to undergo financial difficulties. However, very few past studies have discussed the management of these risks. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide a guideline for the effective management of these financial and economic risks associated with high-rise apartment building projects in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted the mixed research approach. A literature review and semi-structured interviews were used to identify the financial/economic risk factors of high-rise apartment building projects and their risk response measures. The data obtained were used for a questionnaire survey, and the findings were analysed using the mean score method. They were validated using pattern matching. The risk response measures that were identified were ranked according to their effectiveness. Findings: The findings revealed that “financial problems arising from errors in estimating” is the most significant financial and economic risk factor faced by the property developers involved in high-rise apartment building projects, while “poor contract management” is the most significant financial and economic risk factor faced by the contractors of these projects. Originality/value: The study recommends a guideline to manage, using effective risk response measures, the financial and economic risk factors that are significant in high-rise apartment building projects.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education endorses educational initiatives that advocate for reducing existing disaster risks. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the social order around the world, including the education sector. The rise of the pandemic paved the way to significantly convert the education sector towards online/distant learning via digital platforms. Online distance learning was a challenging emergency shift for many who had to change their teaching and learning strategies. This study is an investigation of the significant challenges associated with online learning in DRR education. The objectives of the study were to consider the online learning strategies used in formal DRR education at the tertiary level and to identify the associated challenges faced by the learners. This study presents the findings of an online survey conducted as part of a research collaboration titled INCLUsive Disaster Education (INCLUDE). INCLUDE is a collaborative research project co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ program aimed to reimagine online distance learning education. The survey was conducted in the country contexts of the research partners, which include Lithuania, Japan, Sweden, and the UK, with DRR learners who are engaged in online learning. The findings suggest that Learning Management Systems, synchronous learning, and flipped classrooms are the dominant learning strategies that engage learners. The findings further suggest that challenges in online DRR education lie in inadequate ICT infrastructure and digital literacy, health-related disturbances, and professional and personal commitments that lead into learning discontinuity. Hence, the study concludes that in order to enhance the inclusivity of online DRR education, the overall social and vulnerability contexts of the learners should be considered.

“Soft Landings” (SL) is found to be a catch-all term that is added on to the technical jargon in the building industry over the recent past. Indeed, it is the most sensible wording that can be expected in an era where building gaps and underperformance is the least expected. The aim of this study was to ascertain the appropriateness of the SL strategy for minimizing the performance gaps in the buildings in Sri Lanka. The case study strategy that consisted of two expert interview rounds was adopted to achieve that aim. The results reveal that the causes of performance gaps that were identified from the industry were similar to the causes highlighted in the literature. These causes can be addressed in Sri Lanka with the SL Framework developed by the Building Services Research Information Association (BSRIA), after making the necessaryamendments to the duration of the aftercare period and the work plans of some stages.