The 6th of April 2009 Mw=6.3 earthquake in L' Aquila, central Italy, provides a broad range of useful outcomes and points for consideration in relation to all disciplines involved in seismic hazard assessment, planning and recovery. The event provides an important case-study, most notably because moderate magnitude earthquakes in areas of high population density, such as this, present a high risk in extensional settings (including Europe at large), where their occurrence is relatively common. The L'Aquila event resulted in the highest earthquake death toll in the EU since the 1980 Irpinia (Italy) quake and the highest economic loss due to seismic activity since the 1999 Athens earthquake