A Multi-Criteria Methodology For The Integration Of Risk Assessment Into Spatial Planning As A Basis For Territorial Resilience. The Case Of Seismic Risk

Abstract

Rapid urban development and continuous demands for space have increased the pressure on the territory. The need for this “usable” space, no matter the purpose, leads to an excess of capacities of existing areas and the creation of new areas, both significantly increasing the level of exposure to natural disasters. Statistics show that within a period of almost two decades from 1994 to 2013, 218 million people were affected by natural disasters annually (CRED, 2015). In the situation where the demand for growth is accompanied by an increasing potentiality of damages in economic, social, environmental or cultural terms, disaster risk management (DRM) is having an important focus in terms of research. The way communities and urban systems react to a natural distress is tightly related to the economic and technological development as well as data availability. Developed countries have the capacities to consider mitigation strategies in pre-event situations, which is not always feasible for developing and poor countries. Also, as emphasized by (Gaillard & Mercer, 2012), the issue is related to the fact that disasters affect those who are marginalized and have partial or no access to resources and means of protection. Such paradigm imposes the need to develop preventive strategies focusing on the community, which is directly affected by aftermath of these natural events. The purpose of this research is the analysis of a possible way to integrate disaster risk information within planning instruments aiming towards an inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR) process through the proposal of a risk assessment methodology at a local scale for the case of seismic events. The main objective is that the proposed methodology will serve as a preliminary tool for several decision-making processes in terms of strategic risk reduction measures, policies, prioritization, fund allocation etc. The methodology is also aimed to serve as an important node that connects the community, the experts and responsible authorities with one another towards an inclusive disaster risk reduction approach.