Kidney health for all: preparedness for the unexpected in supporting the vulnerable

As the rate of natural disasters and other devastating events caused by human activities increases, the burden on the health and well-being of those affected by kidney disease has been immeasurable. Health system preparedness, which involves creating a resilient system that is able to deal with the health needs of the entire community during times of unexpected disruptions to usual care, has become globally important. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a heightened awareness of the amplification of negative effects on the renal community. Paradoxically, the complex medical needs of those who have kidney diseases are not met by systems handling crises, often compounded by an acute increase in burden via new patients as a result of the crisis itself. Disruptions in kidney care as a result of unexpected events are becoming more prevalent and likely to increase in the years to come. It is therefore only appropriate that the theme for this year's World Kidney Day will focus on Kidney Health for All: preparedness for the unexpected in supporting the vulnerable. © 2023 JSC Vidal Rus. All rights reserved.

Cities learning from a pandemic: Towards preparedness

COVID-19 has stressed the condition of radical uncertainty that increasingly characterises our times and compels cities to learn new ways to cope with unexpected global urban challenges. The volume proposes preparedness as a key concept in urban geography, planning, and policy, inviting international scholars to discuss its pros and cons. Firstly, it builds a critical theoretical framework around the concept of preparedness in relation to the COVID-19 effects and other interconnected crises. Then, the authors put at work and redefine preparedness, starting from worldwide surveys, research experiences, public discourses and spatial strategies analysis in Europe and, more extensively, in Italy. Finally, the closing section goes beyond the view of preparedness as an emergency tool, proposing to interpret it more broadly as a technology supporting a sustainable urban transition. The book mainly targets academics in urban planning, policy, and geography. However, the prominence of the topic of preparedness makes the volume an essential reading not only within social sciences but further in engineering, basic sciences, and life science. In addition, the book provides directions to practitioners and civic leaders in supporting cities and regions to prepare themselves in the face of pandemics and unpredictable socio-environmental shocks. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Simonetta Armondi, Alessandro Balducci, Martina Bovo and Beatrice Galimberti;individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.

A technology for imagination. Preparedness, urban planning and policy. Interview with Frédéric Keck and Andrew Lakoff

This contribution offers an interview with two anthropologists: Frédéric Keck, director of the Laboratory of Social Anthropology (cnrs-Collège de Franceehess) and Andrew Lakoff, professor of Sociology and Communication (University of Southern California). They have long wondered about the relationship between public action, emergency and the construction of biosecurity devices, focusing on the construction of preparedness. It seems a perspective of great interest to understand the limits and possibilities of taking a preparedness approach in the fields of urban planning and policy. © 2021 FrancoAngeli. All rights reserved.