Urban Risk Lab

09/24/2025

Book Launch Announcement!

The Urban Risk Lab is proud to present Design Before Disaster by Miho Mazereeuw. Japan’s long history of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and other natural hazards has fostered a distinctive culture of preparedness known as bōsai.

Drawing on over two decades of fieldwork and spatial research, this book offers a comprehensive framework for anticipating disasters and integrating resilience into urban design and architecture.

Design Before Disaster provides timely insights into disaster mitigation and adaptation, equipping communities around the world’s most vulnerable regions with strategies to reduce risk and strengthen resilience.

A vital contribution to the future of disaster preparedness.

Learn more and purchase the book through the link in bio.

08/12/2022

Magazine Beach Park Nature Center:
Mass Audubon is collaborating with the MIT Urban Risk Lab to design and create a series of modular structures that will house exhibition and educational content for Mass Audubon’s nature programming. The six structures feature interactive components to encourage curiosity and learning of the species and ecosystems found in the area. Several modules will also promote climate engagement and education.

We hope that the project also begins to incorporate a series of interventions around the Magazine Beach sit to increase climate change awareness and data collection.

11/26/2019

So proud to be a part of the amazing team who worked together the past 2yrs to make the guide happen! The Urban Risk Lab’s contribution was the introductory chapter that lays out Puerto Rico’s past and future hazards, risks and vulnerabilities to disasters.

Yesterday’s event: A Conversation and Book Launch on Keep Safe: Resilient Housing in Island Communities.
Organized by: AIANY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee; Enterprise Community Partners; AIANY Puerto Rico Taskforce

Guide is available for full download in both English and Spanish! Visit our website for more information.

07/18/2019

Urban Risk Lab’s David Moses presenting a sampler of lab projects - RiskMap, FluxMap, PrepHub Nepal, FEMA Alternatives to Post-Disaster Housing - at the Boston x Netherlands event last night at the BSA Space

07/01/2019

At this weekend's PREPHub design charrette at PSU, Portland residents contributed amazing energy and many ideas on disaster preparedness and public space design. Excited to be working with so many committed residents on this project! @ Portland, Oregon

09/21/2018

Urban Risk Lab is a finalist of the MIT SOLVE Coastal Communities Challenge for "Riskmap: Real-time Flood Information Sharing Platform." Please click the link below to vote for our project!
https://solve.mit.edu/challenges/coastal-communities/solutions/4946
MIT Department of Architecture MIT School of Architecture + Planning MIT International Design Center Solve Riskmap.us Urban Risk Lab RiskMap.in

Globally, over 360 million residents live in coastal areas that are less than 10 meters above sea level leaving them vulnerable to annual flooding and storm surges. With sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events, people living in these coastal regions will face increasing flood impacts...

08/08/2018

Excited to be working with
on the next generation of PREPHub research.

And it looks really weird!

07/09/2018

Thanks !

“Representing the at the ! Come grab one of these cards at the info sharing table! ”

06/22/2018

Excited to continue working with

In the wake of the devastating 2017 hurricane, MIT hosted five Puerto Rican undergraduates to help them continue their path toward graduate school.

03/27/2018

From our : Your Sea Wall Won’t Save You https://t.co/XnRS1ALZkB via

Negotiating rhetorics and imaginaries of climate resilience in Jakarta, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok.

01/08/2018

Great to see our PREPHub project mentioned here with other important work:

Disasters cannot be entirely prevented, but they can be anticipated and planned for.

12/18/2017

MIT conference seeks solutions for reconstruction in devastated Caribbean

Two-day workshop featuring island leaders explores ways to rebuilt better, more resilient infrastructure.