It is said that many centuries ago, an Indian princess asked the Buddha to summarize his philosophy for her. The wise man obliged, but when he brought his answer to the lady, she asked for a more concise summary. This exchange was repeated several times. Whenever the Buddha complied with her latest request, the princess kept on demanding an even shorter version. Eventually she asked:‘Can you express your philosophy in just one word?'Once more the Buddha obliged. The definition offered was' Today'(Scheurer, 1994, p. 3).

At a glance, it appears impracticable in such a diverse and multidisciplinary area as urban vulnerability to environmental hazards to do what the Buddha did in philosophy express the essence of the field in a single word. After all, six decades of considerable progress and outstanding achievements by hazards scholars have not succeeded in reconciling discrepancies surrounding fundamental concepts