Closing Statement / Discussion, Richard Rodger, Edinburgh University, 'Man's Inhumanity to Man' Backdated

Urban history as a historical sub-discipline has traditionally been very interdisciplinary and welcoming to synergies and new approaches - how useful is this legacy when considering urban recovery in a longue durée perspective and from a multiplicity of angles? As Ukrainian researchers ponder whether they can or even should go beyond documenting the effect of war on cities, they can draw upon the experience and analysis of other historical and contemporary cases.

The workshop's participants examine the effectiveness of local and national governments' attempts to cope with the destruction of the urban fabric and its various consequences for cities' inhabitants, such as, for instance, displacement. What kind of shelter was provided, how quickly and was it appropriate? What was the role of other urban actors and the broader society? How were other, more distant cities affected by the influx of refugees and how did they cope? How were cities reconstructed after the cataclysm, be that a war, a famine, or an epidemic, and should they leave the planning for the future to colleagues in urban studies who are often much better prepared to think about the future? Can historians contribute to the discussions about how an urban cataclysm should be remembered? Considering these questions might help establish the place of historians in the reconstruction and recovery of cities.