Analysis Of Social Vulnerability Research Articles

Agua subterránea y riego mecanizado: distinción y vulnerabilidad social ante el riesgo de sequía entre los agricultures de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina

En este trabajo nos proponemos recuperar el concepto de vulnerabilidad social ante la sequía para analizar la incidencia de la adopción de riego con agua subterránea en la construcción social del riesgo. Desde una perspectiva relacional y cualitativa, situamos el análisis de la vulnerabilidad social en el marco de la teoría de las prácticas sociales de Pierre Bourdieu. A partir de un estudio de caso en la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina, describimos los capitales que tienen aquellos agricultores que optan por la inversión en riego mecanizado. En un medio agroecológico donde la sequía es el principal condicionante ambiental y es vista por los productores como un peligro, entendemos dicha adopción tecnológica como una estrategia clave para la mediana agricultura familiar. Como resultado mostramos de qué modo el riego con agua subterránea no sólo disminuye la vulnerabilidad ante la sequía de los regantes, sino que amplifica la vulnerabilidad de los productores de secano. En este sentido, esta tecnología tiene un efecto diferenciador sobre las condiciones de vulnerabilidad, en tanto tiende a reproducir la desigualdad entre los productores.

Decennial comparison of changes in social vulnerability: A municipal analysis in support of risk management

The concept of Social Vulnerability (SV) is characterized and distinguished by its complexity and multidisciplinarity. This concept takes into account the specific characteristics of the individual and his social and economic relations, as well as the physical environment where he is inserted. These differentiating characteristics make Social Vulnerability (SV) an indispensable work tool in the process of characterizing and understanding the degree of exposure of communities, as well as evaluating their capacity for resilience and recovery from hazardous events.This paper presents a comparison between the SV performed in 2008 with the results obtained in 2017 for the 278 municipalities of mainland Portugal. The methodology was based on the work developed by the Center for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, which is distinguished by the fact that SV is composed of two components: Criticity and Support Capability. The analysis of SV and its components was done using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) starting from an initial set of 235 variables (90 for Criticality and 145 for Support Capability).With respect to Criticality, the results point out the importance of factors related to the economic condition, employment and factors related to the disadvantaged population and risk groups. Support Capability is strongly influenced by the population density and the most relevant factors for the final results are those related to civil protection response, economic and environmental dynamism and logistic and service capacity. Regarding the SV spatial distribution, the highest values are located mainly in the central and northern parts of the country, with emphasis on the Douro river valley and surrounding municipalities; also a general decrease of SV was recorded in the southern regions from 2008 to 2017.

Spatiotemporal Pattern of Social Vulnerability in Italy

Evaluation of social vulnerability (SV) against natural hazards remains a big challenge for disaster risk reduction. Spatiotemporal analysis of SV is important for successful implementation of prevision and prevention measures for risk mitigation. This study examined the spatiotemporal pattern of SV in Italy, and also analyzed socioeconomic factors that may influence how the Italian population reacts to catastrophic natural events. We identified 16 indicators that quantify SV and collected data for the census years 1991, 2001, and 2011. We created a social vulnerability index (SVI) for each year by using principal component analysis outputs and an additive method. Exploratory spatial data analysis, including global and local autocorrelations, was used to understand the spatial patterns of social vulnerability across the country. Specifically, univariate local Moran’s index was performed for the SVI of each of the three most recent census years in order to detect changes in spatial clustering during the whole study period. The original contribution of this Italy case study was to use a bivariate spatial correlation to describe the spatiotemporal correlation between the threes annual SV indices. The temporal analysis shows that the percentage of municipalities with medium social vulnerability in Italy increased from 1991 to 2011 and those with very high social vulnerability decreased. Spatial analysis provided evidence of clusters that maintained significant high values of social vulnerability throughout the study periods. The SVI of many areas in the center and the south of the peninsula remained stable, and the people living there have continued to be potentially vulnerable to natural hazards.

Social vulnerability analysis of the event flood puddle (case study in Lamongan regency, East Java province)

This research was conducted in the flood plain Bonorowo in Lamongan East Java Province. The area was inundated almost every year, but people still survive and remain settled at the sites. This research is to identify and analyze the social vulnerability in the flood plains on the characteristics puddle Bonorowo This research method is the study of the characteristics and livelihood strategies of the communities living on marginal lands (floodplains Bonorowo) are regions prone to flooding / inundation. Based on the object of this study is a survey research method mix / mix method, which merge or combination of methods of quantitative and qualitative methods, so it will be obtained a description of a more comprehensive and holistic. The results obtained in this study are; Social vulnerability is not affected by the heightened puddles. Social capital is abundant making society safer and more comfortable to keep their activities and settle in the region

Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in Urban Systems. An Application in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)

The concept of risk has become increasingly complex, and has been used not only in relation to the natural features of a region, but also to its socio-economic context. In this conceptualization, the latter directly influences the capacity of a community to cope with, recover from, and adapt to natural hazards. Conceiving vulnerability as a measure of a socio-ecological system’s resilience, and at the same time, as a multidimensional variable that changes in space and time, makes the study of the different ways in which natural hazards impact on society all the more urgent. This is particularly true for developing countries, where risk related to natural hazards affects populations and areas that must deal with stress conditions, such as humanitarian, social and military emergencies. This article presents a methodology for the analysis of social vulnerability, defined and experimented in the context of the international cooperation project “Estudio de la amenaza sísmica y vulnerabilidad física del Gran Santo Domingo”. The methodology, implemented through the employment of a Geographic Information System, led to the elaboration of a “Social Vulnerability Index” and a “Social Vulnerability Map”. These seek to describe the current condition of vulnerability of the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (Distrito Nacional) in the Dominican Republic (DR), and are used to define context-related vulnerability scenarios, as well as to indicate the adequate set of mitigation objectives and actions. The results highlight the importance of using social vulnerability study as the point of departure for defining seismic-risk mitigation policies, emergency management, and territorial planning in order to reduce the impacts of disasters.

ANÁLISE DA VULNERABILIDADE SOCIAL E RISCO AMBIENTAL NO MUNICÍPIO DO RIO DE JANEIRO / ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL VULNERABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO

doi: 10.12957/geouerj.2017.28311 The issue of vulnerability is increasingly present in academic studies and in research activities from government agencies in Brazil and the world, this growth occurs through the need to understand society more deeply and its different degrees of vulnerability, seeking solutions for a more inclusive society. The objective of this study is to analyze the areas of social vulnerability and environmental risk in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. With the application of GIS techniques, areas of Very High, High, Moderate and Low social vulnerability and environmental risk were identified. These results were obtained through the spatial overlap between the Social Vulnerability Index and areas susceptible to landslide. The results of this article express the starting point for further analysis of social vulnerability and environmental risk.

UMA ANÁLISE DA VULNERABILIDADE SOCIAL DAS MICRORREGIÕES GEOGRÁFICAS DO ESTADO DE MINAS GERAIS, BRASIL / SOCIAL VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS BY MICROREGIONS IN THE STATE OF MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

doi: 10.12957/geouerj.2017.29321 As discussoes sobre a vulnerabilidade social no contexto brasileiro sao essenciais para se entender tal problematica na conjuntura contemporânea, uma vez que os debates sobre politicas publicas e sua efetivacao na promocao de equidade social vem recebendo visibilidade. Dessa maneira, a analise dessas disparidades no recorte regional, sob a perspectiva das condicoes de vida das pessoas, pode contribuir para apoiar as tomadas de decisoes dos governantes com vista a uma melhor distribuicao territorial dos recursos. Assim, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo elaborar uma analise da vulnerabilidade social nas 66 microrregioes do Estado de Minas Gerais, por meio da apresentacao de uma tipologia de territorios construida com 20 indicadores organizados em 5 dimensoes de analise. Com uma populacao estimada de cerca de 21 milhoes de pessoas, o estado e o quarto maior, com aproximadamente 587 km² (IBGE, 2010). A metodologia perpassa pela seleccao de indicadores que determinam a vulnerabilidade social por meio dos dados de 2010 no IBGE, PNUD, DATASUS, a que se aplicou uma analise factorial de componentes principais e posterior analise de clusters. Os resultados permitem identificar as disparidades regionais e classificar em grupos as microrregioes de Minas Gerais, de acordo com o seu perfil de vulnerabilidade social. Nota-se que os valores menos favoraveis sao encontrados no norte do estado e os melhores nos locais mais urbanizados e com melhores indicadores de prestacao de servicos publicos.

Analysis of social vulnerability of residential community to hazards in Tianjin, China

The residential community is the basic unit of a city. The evaluation of community-based social vulnerability to hazards plays a vital role in improving urban disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities and enhances nationwide comprehensive disaster management. In this study, five social vulnerability indicators indexes (social network, community administration, community participation, community disaster prevention, and social support) are selected to build a community-based social vulnerability index (SoVI). Next, an Analytic Hierarchy Process-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (AHP-TOPSIS) mathematical model is developed to access the community-based social vulnerability. Three typical residential communities in Tianjin are selected as study sites, and field investigations are conducted. The results indicate that relationships among residents, cooperation, and collective action are effective factors in all three communities and that each community has particular factors influencing its vulnerability characteristics. According to the results, a series of targeted advice and measures is proposed for each community, which could be helpful for policy makers and hazard managers.

Assessment of social vulnerability to natural hazards in South Korea: case study for typhoon hazard

Most often, disaster vulnerabilities are discussed from the perspective of developing countries. This paper extends the argument using an example from a developed country, by focusing on the South Korea during the period from 2009 to 2013. South Korea has suffered from a range of natural hazards throughout its history, and experienced one to three typhoons per year on the average, with most events occurring in August and September. Since 1945, around 17 major typhoons have directly affected South Korea. This study used Self Organizing Map (SOM) and Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for data analysis in terms of the number of social vulnerability variables and samples. The dataset used for social vulnerability analysis consisted of 12 variables, which were adopted and adapted from the research literature related to Hurricane Katrina. However, some of the variables employed in this study might be more or less redundant, necessitating the removal of redundant variables from the accurate SOM analysis. Overall, during the period from 2009 to 2013, the variables of ELDRY (elderly population), POPDNSTY (population density), and DISBLD (disabled population) are the dominant variables which frequently appear as the two top variables that lead to an increase in social vulnerability. According to the findings related to the social vulnerability index, nearly half of all regions have positive values, which are categorized as highly vulnerable. As there are growing concerns on the adequacy of using the concept of vulnerability to address loss and damage, an additional approach was attempted by using typhoon hazard examples, e.g. Typhoons Dianmu and Kompasu of 2010, Typhoon Muifa of 2011, and Typhoon Sanba of 2012. Additional factors such as shortest distance from the typhoon track and maximum wind speed were considered together to obtain the weighted correlation between them. Based on the process of this study, SOM has an essential benefit in evaluating SoVI.

A bridge over troubled water: A contextual analysis of social vulnerability to climate change in a riverine landscape in south-east Norway

ABSTRACTLocal communities in the Gudbrandsdalen region in Norway are increasingly exposed to climate-induced hazards such as floods and landslides. A core question is how community members respond to climate change and what factors contribute to more resilient communities. The authors used a contextual approach to analyze data from semi-structured interviews along five dimensions. In Gaustad Muncipality they found that individuals’ motivation to adapt to climate change depended largely on subjective values such as identity, place attachment, cultural values, and social networks among individuals, which means it is crucial that strategic plans for adaptation to climate change at different policy levels are experienced as relevant by community members. While the studied community has experienced heavy floods in river systems and streams, little evidence of adaptation was observed. Instead, they appeared to adopt coping strategies. Landowners may have limited incentives to adapt to climate change due to contraproductive policy measures such as economic compensation for direct losses without requiring improved practices. Effective adaptation to climate change on the local level is likely to require making compensation mechanisms contingent upon landowners showing willingness to change from coping to adaptive practices, as well as a contextualized approach integrating local and scientific forms of knowledge.

Evaluating the Characteristics of Social Vulnerability to Wildfire: Demographics, Perceptions, and Parcel Characteristics.

A large body of research focuses on identifying patterns of human populations most at risk from hazards and the factors that help explain performance of mitigations that can help reduce that risk. One common concept in such studies is social vulnerability-human populations' potential exposure to, sensitivity from and ability to reduce negative impacts from a hazard. While there is growing interest in social vulnerability for wildfire, few studies have critically evaluated the characteristics that scholars often indicate influence social vulnerability to that hazard. This research utilizes surveys, wildfire simulations, and GIS data to test the relationships between select demographic, perceptual and parcel characteristics of property owners against empirically simulated metrics for wildfire exposure or wildfire-related damages and their performance of mitigation actions. Our results from Flathead County, MT, USA, suggest that parcel characteristics such as property value, building value, and the year structures were built explaining a significant amount of the variance in elements of social vulnerability. Demographic characteristics commonly used in social vulnerability analysis did not have significant relationships with measures of wildfire exposure or vulnerability. Part-time or full-time residency, age, perceived property risk, and year of development were among the few significant determinants of residents' performance of fuel reduction mitigations, although the significance of these factors varied across the levels of fuel reduction performed by homeowners. We use these and other results to argue for a renewed focus on the finer-scale characteristics that expose some populations to wildfire risk more than others.

Social vulnerability assessment of flood risk using GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis. A case study of Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal)

Over the last decade, flood disasters have affected millions of people and caused massive economic losses. Social vulnerability assessment uses a combination of several factors to represent a population's differential access to resources and its ability to cope with and respond to hazards. In this paper, social vulnerability assessment to flood risk was applied to the third most populous Portuguese municipality. The study was developed at the neighbourhood level, allowing for social vulnerability analysis at inter civil parish, intra civil parish, and municipality scales. A geographic information system-based multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) was applied to social vulnerability and allows for an increased understanding and improved monitoring of social vulnerability over space, identifying ‘hot spots’ that require adaptation policies. Mafamude, Oliveira do Douro, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Avintes civil parishes display the greatest vulnerability to flooding. According to the most pessimistic scenario 57%–68% of the area of these civil parishes is classed at a high or very high level of social vulnerability. The GIS-MCDA helps to assess what and who is at risk, and where targeted impact-reduction strategies should be implemented. The results demonstrate the importance of an urban-scale approach instead of a river basin scale to urban flood risk management plans.

An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Social Vulnerability and Smoke Plume Dispersion in the U.S. South

This study explores the spatial association between social vulnerability and smoke plume dispersion at the census block group level for the 13 southern states in the USDA Forest Service’s Region 8. Using environmental justice as a conceptual basis, we use Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis to identify clusters or “hot spots” for the incidence of both higher than average socially marginal populations and plume dispersion. The larger health disparities and environmental justice literature suggests that lower income and minority populations in the U.S. face greater exposure than middle/upper income, non-minority populations to environmental pollutants; however, we are aware of only a few studies examining this relationship in the context of population exposure to wildfires or prescribed fires in the U.S. South, despite the high occurrence of wildfires in the region. Analyses were conducted across five ecoregions in the South and for winter and spring/summer seasons. Results by ecoregion show significant spatial clustering of high social vulnerability block groups in the vicinity of block groups with a high number of smoke plumes (i.e., “hot spots”). Overall, however, socially vulnerable communities are not exposed to more smoke than non-socially vulnerable communities. Data limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Vulnerability to Flooding of the Towns of Mabitac and Santa Maria, Laguna, Philippines

The combination of flood modelling and socio-economic analysis was used to determine the flood vulnerability of the towns of Santa Maria and Mabitac, Laguna, Philippines. Geograhic Information System (GIS)-hazard mapping and vulnerability-resilience indicator were used to assess the interaction of a flood hazard and the socio-economic conditions of the people in the area. The Hydrologic Engineering Center Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC-HMS) and Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) modelling system was used to derive the synthetic hydrograph and delineated the inundated areas in the flood-prone barangays (village) of Santa Maria and Mabitac. The flood modelling predicted the flood depths in seven out of ten communities and delineated the inundated barangays of the two towns. The social vulnerability analysis indicated that Barangays (village) Jose Rizal, Masinao, Adia and Coralan in Santa Maria and Barangays San Antonio, Libis ng Nayon, Bayanihan, Pag-asa, Nanguma and Lambac in Mabitac are very vulnerable to flooding. The study revealed environment-related aspects that are helpful in reducing the impacts of flooding such as, strengthening the flood warning system and emergency response capacity through flood hazard zonation mapping and rehabilitation of the watershed in Santa Maria.

Mitigation Planning

Increasing interest in fostering resilient communities requires a more comprehensive approach to hazard mitigation planning that overcomes the limitations of traditional hazard assessments, notably the failure to explicitly incorporate an analysis of social vulnerability. We statistically analyzed a random sample of 1500 damage assessments of single-family homes collected following Hurricane Ike to assess the contributions of hazard exposure, structural vulnerability, and social vulnerability. The results indicate that hazard exposure, structural characteristics, and socioeconomic characteristics are significant predictors of structural damage. The implications suggest that comprehensive hazard assessments can provide additional insights for mitigation planning and community resiliency.

Social vulnerability indicators as a sustainable planning tool

In the face of global warming and environmental change, the conventional strategy of resource centralization will not be able to cope with a future of increasingly extreme climate events and related disasters. It may even contribute to inter-regional disparities as a result of these events. To promote sustainable development, this study offers a case study of developmental planning in Chiayi, Taiwan and a review of the relevant literature to propose a framework of social vulnerability indicators at the township level. The proposed framework can not only be used to measure the social vulnerability of individual townships in Chiayi, but also be used to capture the spatial developmental of Chiayi. Seventeen social vulnerability indicators provide information in five dimensions. Owing to limited access to relevant data, the values of only 13 indicators were calculated. By simply summarizing indicators without using weightings and by using zero-mean normalization to standardize the indicators, this study calculates social vulnerability scores for each township.To make social vulnerability indicators more useful, this study performs an overlay analysis of social vulnerability and patterns of risk associated with national disasters. The social vulnerability analysis draws on secondary data for 2012 from Taiwan's National Geographic Information System. The second layer of analysis consists of the flood potential ratings of the Taiwan Water Resources Agency as an index of biophysical vulnerability. The third layer consists of township-level administrative boundaries. Analytical results reveal that four out of the 18 townships in Chiayi not only are vulnerable to large-scale flooding during serious flood events, but also have the highest degree of social vulnerability. Administrative boundaries, on which social vulnerability is based, do not correspond precisely to “cross-administrative boundaries,” which are characteristics of the natural environment. This study adopts an exploratory approach that provides Chiayi and other government agencies with a foundation for sustainable strategic planning for environmental change. The final section offers four suggestions concerning the implications of social vulnerability for local development planning.

Analysis of social vulnerability to hazards in China

To improve natural disaster management, it is important to recognize the variability of the vulnerable populations exposed to hazards and to develop location-based emergency plans accordingly. This paper presents a mathematical model to establish a model of social vulnerability index (SoVI), which includes 12 social variables, and the regional social vulnerability to natural hazards was formulated by them. Taking a city as statistical unit, the variability of vulnerability to natural hazards was explored among the 323 cities based on the SoVI. The results indicate that vulnerability is a location-based regional phenomenon, with the most vulnerable cities being located in the southwest of China and the eastern areas being generally less vulnerable. The results will be helpful for policy makers to formulate disaster management plans, which can be beneficial for people in more vulnerable areas who are responding to, coping with, and recovering from natural disasters.

Social vulnerability for public safety: A case study of Beijing, China

Vulnerability to hazards includes not only components of a physical nature, but also those arising from social factors. In developing measures for disaster prevention or emergency response for disaster relief of big cities, an analysis of social vulnerability is very necessary but quite difficult. In order to address the problem, using Beijing as an example, we established a social vulnerability index system including 26 factors and developed an improved analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The weight of each factor was evaluated using the improved AHP process that obviously increased the passing rate of consistency of the experts’ questionnaire. The population, career, economy, infrastructure and social vulnerability distribution maps of Beijing were obtained. From them, it’s easy to see the characteristics of various vulnerability distributions. Through sensitivity analysis, the influencing factors of each area were listed in order of importance. The approach are useful for assessing, reducing the social vulnerability of big cities in China.

Social risks and challenges in post-disaster resettlement: the case of Lake Nyos, Cameroon

This paper examines contemporary challenges in post-disaster resettlement in Cameroon. The focus is on the ongoing post-disaster experiences of survivors who were resettled in seven camps after the Lake Nyos Disaster in 1986. Empirical data obtained at the Ukpwa Waindo resettlement camp were used for analysis of impoverishment due to relocation and resettlement. Cameroon’s weak macroeconomic situation that started a quarter century ago had serious consequences for the country’s socio-economic trends, which is partly responsible for the slow recovery of disaster survivors. However, an analysis of social vulnerability using Cernea’s Impoverishment Risk and Reconstruction model shows how the involuntary resettlement of disaster survivors has itself created deep seated socio-economic and cultural consequences. By analysing their socio-economic situation, this article shows that resettlement is not merely a housing solution, but a complex, multi-dimensional process, with potentially very high negative impact if not properly planned and implemented. Therefore, the lessons learnt from this resettlement experience can be applied to ensure that resettlement becomes an opportunity to improve resilience and living conditions of the stricken population, and reduce exposure to disaster risk. There is urgent need for the government to tackle these long-term socio-economic problems faced by the disaster survivors, and to develop an effective policy to reconstruct, protect, improve or at least restore the livelihoods of those subject to resettlement.

Multi-level geospatial modeling of human exposure patterns and vulnerability indicators

In the context of disaster risk management and in particular for improving preparedness and mitigation of potential impacts, information on socioeconomic characteristics including aspects of situation-specific human exposure and vulnerability is considered vital. This paper provides an overview on available multi-level geospatial information and modeling approaches from global to local scales that could serve as inventory for people involved in disaster-related areas. Concepts and applications related to the human exposure and social vulnerability domains are addressed by illustrating the varying dimensions and contextual implications. Datasets and methods are highlighted that can be applied to assess earthquake-related population exposure, ranging from global and continental-scale population grids (with a focus on recent developments for Europe) to high-resolution functional urban system models and space–time variation aspects. In a further step, the paper elaborates on the integration of social structure on regional scale and the development of aggregative social and economic vulnerability indicators which would eventually enable the differentiation of situation-specific risk patterns. The presented studies cover social vulnerability mapping for selected US federal states in the New Madrid seismic zone as well as the advancement of social vulnerability analysis through integration of additional economic features in the index construction by means of a case study for Turkey’s provinces.