Programme confirmed for the 2010 international conference

What is the role of community in economic and natural disaster recovery in different regions of the world?

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the USA. Vulnerable and predominantly poorer communities across the city were inundated by a storm surge that extended over six miles inland. 70% of the population of the city were evacuated.

At the 2010 CDS/IACD International Conference in New Orleans, we are bringing together experts from the community development field to discuss how to deal with and recover from such natural disasters that were compounded by failures to protect many vulnerable communities.

Join us at the IACD/CDS International Conference, July 24-28, in New Orleans, LA.

click here to view the full conference programme

IACD/CDS Pre-Conference Sessions The Welcome Reception (with Poster Presentations) at the CDS/IACD International Conference begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 25. However, you’ll want to be in New Orleans before this in order to attend one of the Pre-conference Sessions that the planning committee has selected.

Building on Community for Economic and Disaster Recovery – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
This interactive full day workshop will explore strength based approaches that have been used around the world to assist in economic and disaster recovery. Examples are as diverse as recovery after the Tsunami in Indonesia, civil unrest in East Timor, drought mitigation in Kenya, bushfires and floods in Australia, economic recovery in Columbia City in Seattle, Bulls in New Zealand, Lake Street in Minneapolis and Newcastle Australia. This will assist participants to explore these examples and relate them to their own experiences. Through a facilitated process, participants will be assisted to explore key similarities and differences in each approach. From this experience a practical model with six key steps will unfold.

Breakthrough Solutions – Building Vibrant Sustainable Communities & Regions – 1:00 – 4:30 pm
Communities experiencing economic and/or natural disasters have a unique opportunity – to reinvent themselves to prosper in the emerging economic environment. Disasters sweep away many barriers to change, leaving communities open to change in new ways. Breakthrough Solutions provides a valuable framework for communities in those circumstances.

Preparedness & Community Resilience for Economic Recovery – 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Enhancing preparedness for natural and human-made disasters (whether environmental or economic) is of paramount concern to communities and regions. Community resilience is a key feature of preparedness and response, and is considered to be the ability of communities to recover and move forward sustainably. Economic resiliency is event more critical in the current climate and relies heavily on the strength of social networks in a community. This workshop will provide an in-depth exploration of the characteristics, networks and activities needed at the community level to both prepare for and respond to disasters, incorporating principles of CDS Good Practice, and focusing on the economic dimensions of recovery.

IACD Membership