There is irrefutable evidence that the climate is changing. There also is strong evidence that this is largely a result of human activity, driven by our insatiable consumption of resources, growing populations, unsustainable migration patterns and rapid overdevelopment in cities that are resulting in heavy ecosystem services losses. Humankind's solutions to these problems do not always work, as many rely upon quantities of resources that simply do not exist or that could not support the rate of change that we are facing, behaviour changes that sit uneasily with our current consumption patterns and quality of life aspirations, and government policies that emphasise long-term sustainable gain but potential short-term economic loss for businesses and local people. A radical revisioning of the problem is needed, not only to reverse current trends, but also to contribute positively to the sustainability and wellbeing of the planet, now and in the future. This proposal is that radical new vision, adopting a 'whole of government' focus to the changes needed in the ways that societies live, work, play and consume, balancing social aspirations against the necessary changes, and using CO2 emissions as a proxy measurement for the harm being done to the planet and the resources (particularly energy) that we use. Through the development of a city analysis methodology; engineering design criteria for quality of life and wellbeing; engineering design criteria for low carbon pathways and; radical engineering approaches, strategies and visioning-all generated in a multidisciplinary context-we aim to deliver a range of engineering solutions that are effective in sustaining civilised life, in an affordable and socially acceptable style. Our vision is to transform the engineering of cities to deliver societal and planetary wellbeing within the context of low carbon living and resource security. We seek to prove that an alternative future with drastically reduced CO2 emissions is achievable in a socially acceptable manner, and to develop realistic and radical engineering solutions to achieve it. Certain techno-fixes for a low-carbon society have been known for some time (e.g., installing low energy appliances in homes), but are not always deemed successful, in part because they have not been deemed socially acceptable. Current aspirations for material consumption are driven by social factors and reinforced by social norms, yet recent research shows that meeting these aspirations often does not enhance wellbeing. Thus, the challenge the research community faces is to co-evolve the techno-fixes with people's aspirations, incorporating radical engineering strategies within the financial, policy/regulation and technical contexts, to re-define an alternative future. A roadmap is required to chart the path from here to there, identify potential tipping points and determine how to integrate radical engineering strategies into norms. However, this roadmap can only be considered once that alternative future has been established, and a 'back-casting' exercise carried out, to explore where the major barriers to change lie and where interventions are needed. Our ambition is to create an holistic, integrated, truly multidisciplinary city analysis methodology that uniquely combines engineered solutions and quality-of-life indicators, accounts for social aspirations, is founded on an evidence base of trials of radical interventions in cities, and delivers the radical engineering solutions necessary to achieve our vision. We seek to achieve this ambition by using a variety of innovative and traditional approaches and methods to undertake five research challenges, which are outlined in detail in five technical annexes.

This proposal directly addresses research issues relating to the strategic management of the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS). More specifically it is a scoping bid to determine whether or not Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) can be used to find high performance strategies for a Fire Brigade's deployment of resources to minimise the risk of the loss of life and property. EA are essentially a class of algorithms which are able to cope with challenging, complex problems that cannot be solved by classical optimization and search methods. They have the advantage that they do not need the well defined objective function that is required by other algorithms. Also the cope with conflicting constraints, multi-objective search spaces and other hazards such as discrete variables and non-linearity.The bid arises from the participation by Miles & Rezgui in a joint EPSRC/CLG sandpit to look at research ideas for Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) for the FRS. A scoping bid, with limited research aims, was suggested by the sandpit mentors because they felt that there is a risk that the technology might not be able to cope with the problem domain. The scoping bid will therefore enable the applicants and the sandpit mentors to assess whether or not the proposed strategy can cope with the domain complexity to produce sensible, high performance solutions. This work will be undertaken in collaboration the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and with the Fire and Resilience Directorate of CLG to ensure that the work is relevant to the needs of FRSs. BRE's role is to provide fire engineering expertise.

Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in extremism, though mainly al-Qaeda or 'AQ'-inspired terrorism. This emphasis on preventing violent extremism (PVE), and countering processes of radicalization within Muslim communities, has marked a logical response to the events of September 11th 2001, subsequent terrorist attacks in cities such as London and Madrid, and the priorities of national security services. However, at the same time, there has emerged a view among policymakers that the heavy focus on one particular 'type' of extremism has left them with a less developed understanding of alternative forms of extremist ideology, activity and support. One particularly neglected area that has recently acquired increased policy relevance is right-wing extremism. Across several European democracies, radical and extreme right-wing parties continue to rally relatively durable electoral support. At the same time, the resurgence of interest in right-wing extremist ideology and support has been fuelled by the emergence of non-electoral forms of mobilization (such as the English, Scottish and Welsh Defence Leagues), and the atrocities that were committed in Norway by a 'lone wolf' activist who had passed through the radical right-wing Norwegian Progress Party and was connected to right-wing extremist blogs (such as the Gates of Vienna). Against this backdrop there has emerged a consensus among policymakers: while there is a relatively well-developed understanding of AQ-inspired terrorism and underlying processes of radicalization, the task of developing an effective policy response to right-wing extremist organizations, their ideological appeals and supporters is lacking. This gap in the existing work is best reflected in the most recent Prevent strategy (2011), which devotes only four paragraphs to right-wing extremism and notes how the current understanding of this challenge 'is inevitably less developed than it is for terrorism associated with Al Qa'ieda'. This knowledge exchange project will directly contribute to addressing this gap by facilitating the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to increase its knowledge base and understanding about right-wing extremism. Principally, through a six-month placement at DCLG (that will support a conference and expert workshops), the applicant - an early career researcher - will focus on exchanging knowledge on: the social and attitudinal profile of supporters of extreme right-wing groups; the ideological appeals and motivational vocabularies offered by the extreme right; non-electoral forms of mobilization; and possible policy responses. With active support from DCLG and the Home Office, the placement will promote the application of accumulated academic knowledge in this area, which (but is not limited to) ESRC-supported research. What are the potential applications and benefits? A placement in a national-level policy community will enable the applicant to directly inform policy development at DCLG and also across government more widely. Specifically, the project will deliver the following benefits to policymakers and the wider social science community: a synthesis of current and past academic research; ensuring that policy is anchored in this evidence base; databasing key publications; producing accessible summaries for policy audiences; help identify gaps in current and future work; produce 'in house' publications; contribute to the general development of a research cluster in the area above; and organise and co-host a knowledge exchange conference and four expert workshops that will build or strengthen networks between policymakers and the social science community. When seen as a whole, the project will transfer academic knowledge on an issue that is currently of high policy interest and relevance, strengthen policymakers' understanding of an oft-neglected form of extremism and contribute directly to the development of more effective policy responses

Risks that affect the built environment and threaten human life are becoming major societal issues in the 21st century. Managing these risks and responding to emergencies such as fires, floods, and terrorist attacks is important and needs to be planned efficiently and effectively to ensure minimal impact on society. The government's White paper Our Fire and Rescue Service published in 2003 introduced reforms that refocused the role of the Fire and Rescue Service on the prevention of fires and broadened its role in dealing with other growing threats resulting from climate change and man-made disasters. As a result, a new statutory framework is now in existence that places a responsibility on the FRS to produce Integrated Risk Management Plans (IRMPs) to plan for, and respond to, a range of emergencies.The aim of IRMPs is to improve community safety and make a more effective use of FRS resources by: reducing the incidence of fires; reducing loss of life in fires and accidents; reducing the number and severity of injuries; safeguarding the environment and protecting the national heritage; and providing communities with value for money . The White paper also highlighted that new ideas for the fire and rescue service must be based on evidence from rigorous research based on the review of technologies and underpinning science on fire prevention, detection and suppression.The work in this proposal is part of the joint national initiative between the EPSRC and the Communities and Local Government (CLG) to encourage and support research on how to identify, measure and mitigate the social and economic impact that fire and other emergencies can be expected to have on individuals, communities, commerce, industry, the environment and heritage . This is in response to the government's drive to introduce changes for the Fire and Rescue Service making this proposed research timely as it contributes to the CLG's efforts to implement the FRS reforms. There has been a great deal of research on risk assessment and risk management within the context of fire and other emergencies, most of this work focused on estimating the probability of risks and their impact quantified in terms of damage and loss by modelling fire growth and spread. However the integration of the performance and effectiveness of prevention and protection measures used in buildings while developing risk management plans to allocate fire and rescue resources has received little attention. Recent efforts within the CLG, the home Office, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister investigated risk assessment as part of the development of a process for planning Fire Service Emergency Cover (FSEC). Part of this work resulted in the development of a toolkit to assess risk, plan response, and model the consequences of resource deployment. However the new requirements of IRMPs that need a holistic and integrated approach and focus on prevention are introducing further research challenges, these can be summarised as follows: 1. lack of evidence based methods for the assessment of the effectiveness of prevention and protection measures used in buildings; 2. difficulties in assessing and predicting property, heritage, and human loss; 3. the need for decision making tools for the cost effective allocation of prevention and protection resources. The main aim of the research in this proposal is to build on the work by the CLG and investigate the value and effectiveness of prevention and protection measures and activities used in commercial, public and heritage buildings with the view of improving decision making on the allocation of resources within the context of IRMP. The main outcome of he research will be the development of tools that will support the FRS in decision making regarding: the value of prevention and protection measures in the built environment; and the allocation of resources for fire safety interventions.

The primary responsibility for preparing for, and reacting to, major emergency situations in England rests with local emergency responders who act individually or collectively through Local Resilience Forums (LRFs, Defra 2013). ResilienceDirect was set up by Cabinet Office in 2014 to facilitate data sharing amongst LRFs for emergency response and planning. Nationwide fluvial, coastal, and surface water flood risk mapping by the Environment Agency provides information about potential areas at risk. However, emergency services (e.g. Fire & Rescue; Ambulance) face the challenge of responding to flood emergencies under fast changing and dynamic weather conditions. Surface water flood risk maps based on return period are useful for planning purposes. However their utility in flood emergencies is often limited due to the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of rainfall. This project aims to translate the recent development in high-resolution surface water flood modelling and numerical weather forecast into a real-time street-level surface water flood mapping service within the ResilienceDirect platform. In addition to surface water mapping, this project will also produce accessibility maps in real-time to assist the decision making of emergency responders. This will allow accessibility (e.g. time to travel) from individual emergency service stations (e.g. Fire & Rescue; Ambulance) to vulnerable places to be evaluated. The mapping results will help contingency planning by emergency responders ahead of potential flood events. Central support from Cabinet Office, the Department for Communities and Local Governments, Met Office and Environment Agency will ensure the wider impact of this project. The project will be demonstrated in Leicestershire, coordinated by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Resilience Forum and the 16 stakeholders it represents. Atkins will support applicability and link the project with three strands of activities in the company: surface water modelling, transportation modelling and resilience/ emergency mapping. Atkins will also help explore potential commercial applications of the project outcomes. Transport Scotland will support the project with knowledge of potential vulnerable areas (PVA) on the trunk road network in Scotland, aligned with known locations of flooding within their asset management system; Transport Scotland will help identify scope for expanding the service in Scotland beyond emergency responders, for utilisation on a national road infrastructure network, within the operations of Traffic Scotland.