The seeds of this publication were sown during a series of conversations held while organising a conference supported by the UCL Rome Fund and the University of L’Aquila in the 10th anniversary year of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. At the suggestion of the host university’s Provost Paola Inverardi, historian Lucia met urbanist Paola and we found ourselves discussing the failings of a technically excellent reconstruction programme that had completely disregarded the social aspects and psychological impact of the earthquake. We became determined that, in an increasingly unpredictable and volatile world, there must be a better way to face disaster.The multidisciplinary international conference examined themes of reconstruction, recovery and resilience in historic cities around the world. In the context of the host city, it offered significant and varied perspectives on the problems of physical reconstruction without economic and social planning and without care for the needs of citizens.