Village relocation as solution of the landslide risk, is it always the right choice? The case study of Cavallerizzo ghost village (Calabria, southern Italy)

Abstract

This study analyses the geological reasons that supported the relocation of the Cavallerizzo village (Calabria, southern Italy) to a new area after the landslide event in 2005 to examine whether the institutional ordinance of displacing the entire village was the right choice. This study is based on new geological and geomorphological field investigations, on a new reading of the existing borehole data and new data collected by multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar interferometry. The results obtained reveal that only the areas bordering the Cavallerizzo village are affected by active landslides, whereas, in the historical centre, geomorphological evidence for an active landslide capable of involving the entire settlement is not found. Nowadays, 17 years after the 2005 landslide event, more than 85% of the Cavallerizzo village is completely intact, lacking evidence of instability or important damage to ancient buildings. Furthermore, in the historical urban area, very low ground displacements by InSAR investigation are observed, highlighting that the instability conditions of Cavallerizzo are less severe than those recognised in nearby villages. This evidence along with the strong negative economic and socio-cultural impacts that the village settlement had on the community involved led to the reconsideration of the adequacy of the relocation ordinance issued by the National Civil Protection. These findings can contribute to useful advice and best practices to state-run organisations and stakeholders for disaster management planning in urban sites, such as Cavallerizzo, subject to hydrogeological hazards.