This book contains the papers presented at two conferences organized by the Wessex Institute of Technology. The first conference is the Seventh International Conference on Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, being held in Algarve, Portugal, September 13-15. This biennial conference is the latest in a successful series that began in 1998 and that includes many practical applications, demonstrating how to analyze and manage risk and mitigate hazards. The applications cover man-made as well as natural hazards, the importance of which is becoming increasingly evident in our modern world. These problems have become a priority for all governments, as well as a cause for public concern. The second conference is the Fifth International Conference on Prevention, Assessment, Rehabilitation and Development of Brownfield Sites, also being held in Algarve, September 14-16. The biennial conference was first held in 2002 and covers the challenges the public and private sectors must face in seeking to reuse brownfield sites and to capitalize on the opportunities.

Comprised of the papers presented at the eighth, and latest, International Conference Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, this book covers a topic of increasing importance. Scientific knowledge is essential to our better understanding of risk. Natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, fires and others, have always affected human societies. Man-made hazards, however, played a comparatively small role until the industrial revolution when the risk of catastrophic events started to increase due to the rapid growth of new technologies and the urbanisation of populations. The interaction of natural and anthropogenic risks adds to the complexity of the problem.Due to advances in computational methods and the ability to model systems more precisely we can now quantify hazards, simulate their effects and calculate risk with greater accuracy, enabling us to manage risk much more effectively. These developments are particularly relevant to environmental issues, where substantial risks are involved. Governments, and their publics, now place a high priority on effective risk management and the mitigation of possible hazards. Covering topics such as: Estimation of Risk; Risk Management; Vulnerability; Geomorphologic Risk; Network Systems; Climate Change Risks; Hazard Prevention; Management and Control; Security and Public Safety; Transportation Safety; Safe Ship Operations; Early Warning Systems; Food Safety; Risk Perception; Natural Hazards; Technological Risk, the book will be of interest to planners, emergency managers, environmentalists, engineers, policy makers and other government officials, researchers and academics involved in the field of risk and disaster management.

Written for real estate lawyers, environmental lawyers, property owners, lenders, environmental consultants, environmental regulators, state or local government leaders and developers.

" ... the 17th International Conference ... held ... in Pisa, Italy."--Pref.

"Organised by Wessex Institute of Technology, UK; University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Italy" - prelim.

Rehabilitation of brownfields, particularly those which are contaminated can be an expensive undertaking and requires not only technical solutions but the involvement of financial, regulatory and community stakeholders. Fundamental to this process is the analysis of the risks involved and the development of the appropriate strategies. Those need to be weighted against the economic and social benefits of brownfield development, to assess the general viability of the redevelopment. In most cases the demand for development land drives the process forward, while sometimes the rehabilitation is grounded on the wish to restore the landscape and the ecology of a region. This volume contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Prevention, Assessment, Rehabilitation and Development of Brownfield Sites that was held in Cephalonia (Greece) in May 2008. Brownfield development is in most cases essential to attract new business to the locality and for the creation of healthy communities. Therefore, there is a great need for deeper research and study of all aspects of the problem - technical, institutional, financial, social - and an exchange of ideas, know-how and experience among experts and scientists. The proceedings have been arranged into the following sections: Rehabilitation of Brownfields; Development Issues; Remediation Studies and Technologies; Case Studies; Risk Assessment and Management; Community and Public Involvement.