Journal of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering

Journal of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering

Assessing the Resilience Level of Urban Neighborhood against Earthquakes

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), Tehran, Iran
3 Ph.D. Research Associate, College of Design, Construction and Planning, University of Florida, USA
4 Ph.D., Faculty of Architecture & Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), Tehran, Iran
Abstract
During the recent decades, the rapid growth of urban settlements has increased the risk of disasters. Therefore, improving the resilience of urban areas to natural hazards is essential. This article aims to evaluate earthquake resilience at local level by assessing and analyzing physical and social criteria. It proposes practical interventions at the micro, meso, and macro levels. A hybrid and field-based approach was applied for assessing the resilience of neighborhood against earthquakes as following steps: (1) To identify key components and indexes of physical and social resilience; (2) To determine tree structure for neighborhood resilience factors; (3) Field survey and data collection; (4) AHP analysis to determine the weights; (5) Performing GIS analysis to assess the earthquake resilience of the neighborhood. The proposed approach was applied in Jalaliyeh Neighborhood, Tehran, Iran, as a case study. The results reveal a spatial variation in the neighborhood’s earthquake resilience, with lower levels of resilience in the western parts compared to the eastern parts. The neighborhood’s average social resilience level is thirty percent and ‘low’, whereas its physical resilience level is ‘moderate’ with amount of fifty-one percent. The neighborhood’s resilience is distributed as follows: thirty-four percent very high, ten percent high, sixteen percent moderate, twenty-four percent low, and sixteen percent very low. The quantitative-qualitative approach, indicators, and criteria are applicable to assess the earthquake resilience of various urban neighborhoods, especially in similar contexts. Disaster risk managers can utilize this approach as a decision-support tool for improving the resilience and allocating the necessary funds accordingly.
Keywords

Subjects



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 03 February 2025

  • Receive Date 31 July 2024
  • Revise Date 13 December 2024
  • Accept Date 03 February 2025
  • Publish Date 03 February 2025