This paper was authored by Nadiia Kopiika (University College London, Lviv Polytechnic National University, bridgeUkraine.org and MetaInfrastructure.org), Sotirios Argyroudis (Brunel University of London, bridgeUkraine.org and MetaInfrastructure.org), Min Ouyang (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), and Stergios-Aristoteles Mitoulis (University College London, bridgeUkraine.org and MetaInfrastructure.org), reflecting a strongly interdisciplinary collaboration across resilience, infrastructure, and urban recovery
Rebuilding cities after conflict often prioritizes political or economic interests at the expense of long-term resilience, equity and inclusion. Post-war recovery must break away from traditional, interest-driven patterns. Instead, reconstruction should be redefined through a science-driven, multidisciplinary lens that has people and communities, social justice, and sustainability at its heart.
Sustained Resilience: A New Property of the Built Environment
This paper introduces a transformative, science-driven framework for post-war reconstruction moving beyond fragmented, top-down approaches towards a people- centric, multidisciplinary, and digitally enabled model of sustained resilience. It integrates society, economy, and the natural and built environment across all phases of conflict—before, during, and after—leveraging AI, digital twins, and participatory platforms to empower communities and enable equitable recovery .
At its core, this work reframes reconstruction not as rebuilding what was lost, but as reimagining cities through resilience, sustainability, and social justice.Today, more than ever, we need countries affected by war not only to recover—but to lead.