China is experiencing an unprecedented era of economic and social growth. This growth has spurned massive urbanization, resulting in the proliferation of major cities, with all the prosperity and threats that such development brings. Indeed, one does not have to look far to see the threats posed by organizational accidents to urban public safety in China. Such accidents highlight the tight coupling and interactive complexity present within urban environments. Analyzed from one angle, such accidents could be seen as inevitable. On the other hand, theories such as High Reliability Organizing and Resilience Engineering suggest that such accidents can be averted through fostering positive capacities. In this paper, these contemporary theories of accident causation and prevention are applied to the urban safety setting, with a focus on fostering a suite of capabilities across urban systems. Suggested areas of inquiry are suggested to advance the science and practice of urban public safety in China.
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