Social vulnerability in this study represents the differences between the capacity to cope with natural hazards and disaster losses suffered within and between places.The assessment of social vulnerability has been re...Social vulnerability in this study represents the differences between the capacity to cope with natural hazards and disaster losses suffered within and between places.The assessment of social vulnerability has been recognized as a critical step in understanding natural hazard risks and enhancing effective response capabilities.This article presents an initial study of the social vulnerability of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(B-T-H) Region in China.The goal is to replicate and test the applicability of the United States Social Vulnerability Index(So VI) method in a Chinese cultural context.Thirty-nine variables adapted from the So VI were collected in relation to two aspects:socioeconomic vulnerability and built environment vulnerability.Using factor analysis,seven factors were extracted from the variable set:the structure of social development,the level of economic and government financial strength,social justice and poverty,family structure,the intensity of space development,the status of residential housing and transportation,and building structure.Factor scores were summed to get the final So VI scores and the most and least vulnerable units were identified and mapped.The highest social vulnerability is concentrated in the northwest of the study area.The least socially vulnerable areas are mainly distributed in the Beijing,Tianjin and Shijiazhuang core urban peripheral and central city areas of the prefecture-level cities.The results show that this method is a useful tool for revealing places that have a high level of vulnerability,in other words,areas which are more likely to face significant challenges in coping with a large-scale event.These findings could provide a scientific basis for policy making and the implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation in China.展开更多
Recent catastrophic events related to floods in Colombia reveal again the situation of disaster as a development issue not solved in the country. It is necessary to analyze in more detail the areas under threat and th...Recent catastrophic events related to floods in Colombia reveal again the situation of disaster as a development issue not solved in the country. It is necessary to analyze in more detail the areas under threat and their respective vulnerability to the different mechanisms can generate flooding events and make adjustments in the assessment of disaster risks for the appropriate decision-making at local, regional and national levels. This paper presents a research project in its first phase, whose main objective is to develop a methodology for vulnerability assessment from a multiscale, multitemporal and multidisciplinary perspectives, combining the use of indicators and a spatial information system to analyze exposure and vulnerability at regional and local level in specific areas. This methodological tool will also enable local and regional authorities to identify the most appropriate strategies to reduce vulnerability and adaptation options, and make better decisions in assessing disaster risk. The information generated in this study will contribute to public policy action structured to correct short- and medium-term situations of actual or potential vulnerability, which can also be used in other activities of territorial and environmental planning, developing technology transfer activities and training associated with the research project in the service of the authorities and communities. Results obtained of the vulnerability analysis for a Colombian study area will relate to the hazards obtained in a parallel project whose goal is to identify the best risk management strategies through the development of GIS （geographic information system）-based scenarios for different risk and vulnerability reduction options.展开更多
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41401176,41201550,41201114)New Starting Point of Beijing Union University(No.ZK10201406,ZK10201302)+1 种基金Humanities and Social Science Key Research Base of Zhejiang Province(Applied Economics at Zhejiang Gongshang University)(No.JYTyyjj20130105)Incubation Programme of Great Wall Scholars of Beijing Municipal University&College(No.IDHT20130322)
文摘Social vulnerability in this study represents the differences between the capacity to cope with natural hazards and disaster losses suffered within and between places.The assessment of social vulnerability has been recognized as a critical step in understanding natural hazard risks and enhancing effective response capabilities.This article presents an initial study of the social vulnerability of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(B-T-H) Region in China.The goal is to replicate and test the applicability of the United States Social Vulnerability Index(So VI) method in a Chinese cultural context.Thirty-nine variables adapted from the So VI were collected in relation to two aspects:socioeconomic vulnerability and built environment vulnerability.Using factor analysis,seven factors were extracted from the variable set:the structure of social development,the level of economic and government financial strength,social justice and poverty,family structure,the intensity of space development,the status of residential housing and transportation,and building structure.Factor scores were summed to get the final So VI scores and the most and least vulnerable units were identified and mapped.The highest social vulnerability is concentrated in the northwest of the study area.The least socially vulnerable areas are mainly distributed in the Beijing,Tianjin and Shijiazhuang core urban peripheral and central city areas of the prefecture-level cities.The results show that this method is a useful tool for revealing places that have a high level of vulnerability,in other words,areas which are more likely to face significant challenges in coping with a large-scale event.These findings could provide a scientific basis for policy making and the implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation in China.
文摘Recent catastrophic events related to floods in Colombia reveal again the situation of disaster as a development issue not solved in the country. It is necessary to analyze in more detail the areas under threat and their respective vulnerability to the different mechanisms can generate flooding events and make adjustments in the assessment of disaster risks for the appropriate decision-making at local, regional and national levels. This paper presents a research project in its first phase, whose main objective is to develop a methodology for vulnerability assessment from a multiscale, multitemporal and multidisciplinary perspectives, combining the use of indicators and a spatial information system to analyze exposure and vulnerability at regional and local level in specific areas. This methodological tool will also enable local and regional authorities to identify the most appropriate strategies to reduce vulnerability and adaptation options, and make better decisions in assessing disaster risk. The information generated in this study will contribute to public policy action structured to correct short- and medium-term situations of actual or potential vulnerability, which can also be used in other activities of territorial and environmental planning, developing technology transfer activities and training associated with the research project in the service of the authorities and communities. Results obtained of the vulnerability analysis for a Colombian study area will relate to the hazards obtained in a parallel project whose goal is to identify the best risk management strategies through the development of GIS （geographic information system）-based scenarios for different risk and vulnerability reduction options.
