Abstract
Abstract. Society and economy are only two of the dimensions of vulnerability. This paper aims to elucidate the state of the art of data sources, spatial variables, indicators, methods, indexes and tools for the spatial assessment of socio-economic vulnerability (SEV) related to geohazards. This review was first conducted in December 2018 and re-run in March 2020 for the period between 2010 and 2020. The gross number of articles reviewed was 27, from which we identified 18 relevant references using a revised search query and six relevant references identified using the initial query, giving a total sample of 24 references. The most common source of data remains population censuses. The most recurrent spatial variable used for the assessment of SEV is households without basic services, while critical facilities are the most frequent spatial category. Traditional methods have been combined with more innovative and complex methods to select and weight spatial indicators and develop indices. The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI®) remains the benchmark for the assessment of SEV and a reference for its spatial assessment. Geographic information systems (GIS) is the most common tool for conducting a spatial assessment of SEV regarding geohazards. For future spatial assessments of SEV regarding geohazards, we recommend considering 3-D spatial indexes at the microscale at the urban level and involving the community in the assessments.
Highlights
Vulnerability is defined by the United Nations (UN) as “the conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes that increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impact of hazards” (UN, 2016)
We can state that most of the spatial assessments of socioeconomic vulnerability (SEV) in urban environments have been done for earthquakes and landslides and that Indonesia, China, Iran and the USA lead the research in the spatial assessment of SEV related to geohazards in urban environments
The spatial assessment of SEV allows for visualizing and communicating social phenomena and components that influence the degree of vulnerability that are not visible with other methods
Summary
Vulnerability is defined by the United Nations (UN) as “the conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes that increase the susceptibility of an individual, a community, assets or systems to the impact of hazards” (UN, 2016). The concept of social vulnerability (SV) to environmental hazards involves demographic and socio-economic factors that affect community resilience (Zebardast, 2013), and this is considered a hot topic in current disaster research (Shen et al, 2018). The social and economic dimensions are only two dimensions of vulnerability to multiple stressors and shocks These shocks include disasters due to the fragility and susceptibility of human well-being damaged by disruption to individuals (physical and mental health) and collective social systems (e.g. education, services, health) and their characteristics (e.g. age, ethnicity, disabilities) (Birkmann et al, 2013). Social vulnerability refers to the inability of people, organizations and societies to cope with negative impacts from different stressors to which
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