MANAGING EMERGENCY INTO HISTORIC CENTRES IN ITALY: SEISMIC VULNERABILITY EVALUATION AT URBAN SCALE

Abstract

Italy is one of the most earthquake prone areas in Europe and one of the countries with the richest cultural legacy in the world. A series of seismic events occurred in the last decades caused considerable casualties and damage to historic centres, highlighting the need of undertaking protective measures to limit the impact of any potential earthquake. The complex morphology of historical city centres with their century-old built environment contribute to the high vulnerability and exposure in the areas. This research introduces an interdisciplinary approach to implement the seismic emergency management for historical centres in Italy and consequently to address their preventive planning. A procedure combining vulnerability analysis and urban spatial techniques allows defining a ranking of priority interventions to be included into a preventive plan in order to ensure free escape routes and clear access for the emergency services during the post-seismic phase. The first step of this work is the survey of the present-day configuration of historic centres, with their historical assets, aggregates, critical infrastructures, urban functions and strategic activities. Then, a key aspect regards the vulnerability assessment of the urban fabric in order to predict post-seismic damage scenarios. By considering the interference of the buildings' vulnerability with the street network, it is possible to develop mitigation strategies to improve the emergency management.