Vulnerability assessment of cultural heritage sites towards flooding events

Abstract

Historic sites are threatened by diverse weather patterns, mainly due to global climate change, such as sea-level rise and increasing frequency of storms and other extreme precipitation events. As climate change is becoming an increasing urban problem, heritage located in this context is considered as a sensitive and vulnerable element of the city. Adaptation should be oriented to a sustainable transformation of the historic city, leading to more resilient and safe environments. Risk-based approaches should incorporate an assessment of sensitiveness and capacity to adapt to these hazards. Vulnerability is often assessed on a large scale (e.g. regional, local) and buildings are not considered as part of the urban environment, while conservation is often developed on the operational scale of a monument or site. Management of cultural heritage requires therefore for an urban approach, which considers all the elements and buildings as part of the urban environment. Research presented in this paper describes a methodological approach (MIVES - Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment) for vulnerability assessment of historic sites, supported by multilevel indicators (urban, building, element), in order to provide an informed decision-making. The solution proposed in based on an organised and structures decision tree, which provides a comparable and unique vulnerability index on the building level.