Evaluating the role of transportation system in community seismic resilience

Abstract

The swift recuperation of communities following natural hazards heavily relies on the efficiency of transportation systems, facilitating the timely delivery of vital resources and manpower to reconstruction sites. This paper delves into the pivotal role of transportation systems in aiding the recovery of built environments, proposing an evaluative metric that correlates transportation capacity with the speed of post-earthquake recovery. Focusing on optimizing urban population capacity in the aftermath of earthquakes, the study comprehensively examines the impact of pre-earthquake measures such as enhancing building or bridge seismic performance on post-earthquake urban population capacity. The methodology is demonstrated through an analysis of Beijing’s transportation system, elucidating how enhancements to transportation infrastructure fortify the resilience of built environments. Additionally, the concept of a resource supply rate is introduced to gauge the level of logistical support available after an earthquake. This rate tends to decrease when transportation damage is significant or when the demands for repairs overwhelm available resources, indicating a need for retrofitting. Through sensitivity analysis, this study explores how investments in the built environment or logistical systems can increase the resource supply rate, thereby contributing to more resilient urban areas in the face of seismic challenges.