Assessing the Impact of Seismic Risk Mitigation at the Urban Scale on Community Resilience and Housing Recovery

European historical city centers are particularly prone to natural disasters. This is due to the fragility of structures that often times do not comply with seismic codes; the high constructions’ density that causes induced damage; and the historical relevance of buildings that makes difficult the enacting of mitigation strategies. In Italy, major earthquake caused extensive damages over the last century. Seismic events have a huge impact on the Nation’s economy growth due to direct and indirect impacts, such as for example the high reconstruction costs or the business interruption spread out over a long period, respectively. In addition, the duration of recovery can affect the population wellbeing and cause permanent displacement. For this reason, the preventive planning of disaster management strategies are crucial to mitigate the damage and enhance resilience. Proposed strategies have to be effective and economically sustainable. In this paper, two towns affected by the 2012 Northern Italy Earthquake are chosen to analyze the reconstruction process. Using information published on the town journal, relevant aspects of the community resilience are highlighted. In particular, the housing recovery, i.e. the return of displaced people to a permanent housing solution is investigated. Then, a suite of seismic mitigation strategies is proposed for both cities, taking into account the peculiarity of the built environment and the damage distribution available thanks to the post-event buildings’ inspection. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is assessed through a cost-benefit analysis, highlighting optimal solutions to reduce the economic and social losses.
This work was supported by the FAR funding of the University of Ferrara, 2015, “Historical Centers Livable and Sustainable” (HC-LIVE)” and by the scholarship of the University “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara, 2019, “Risk Assessment of the Built Heritage at the Urban Scale” (Ref. Num. 0002299). The fourth Author would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU) of the Spanish Government, the State Agency of Research (AEI), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the SEVERUS project (Multilevel evaluation of seismic vulnerability and risk mitigation of masonry buildings in resilient historical urban centres, Ref. Num. RTI2018-099589-B-I00).
Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima::13.1 - Enfortir la resiliència i la capacitat d’adaptació als riscos relacionats amb el clima i els desastres naturals a tots els països
Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles::11.4 - Redoblar els esforços per a protegir i salvaguardar el patrimoni cultural i natural del món
Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles
Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima