Barbara Lucini

B. Lucini, The risk: social definition and spatial context of development This contribution is arisen from an historical and sociological overview about the concept of risk, its social definitions and spatial implications. In this conceptual framework risk (natural as man made) is presented through three different ways of thinking: risk analysis, risk perception and risk communication. The attention will be focalised on the urban place in which the risk takes place: the city in the twentieth century and the megacities during the present time. Risk, whatever defined, presents different features in the spatial context of megacities according to the question of governance, housing, crisis management and its operative preparedness actions in case of changeover from risk to disaster. It seems to be an important sociological argument to understand and cope with complexity and increased exposition to various kind of risks. Keywords: risk, risk analysis, risk perception, urban space, megacities.