SYNER-G, a multidisciplinary effort funded by the European Union,
allowed the development of an innovative methodological framework for
the assessment of physical as well as socio-economic seismic
vulnerability and risk at urban and regional level. The results of
SYNER-G are presented in two books both published by Springer, the
present and a second one, entitled "SYNER-G: Typology Definition and
Fragility Functions for Physical Elements at Seismic Risk: Buildings,
Lifelines, Transportation Networks and Critical Facilities"(*), which
provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of the fragility curves, an
alternative way to express physical vulnerability of elements at risk.
In this second volume of SYNER-G, the focus has been on presenting a
unified holistic methodology for assessing vulnerability at systems
level considering interactions between elements at risk (physical and
non-physical) and between different systems. The proposed methodology
and tool encompasses in an integrated fashion all aspects in the chain,
from hazard to the vulnerability assessment of components and systems
and to the socio-economic impacts of an earthquake, accounting for most
relevant uncertainties within an efficient quantitative simulation
scheme. It systematically integrates the most advanced fragility
functions to assess the vulnerability of physical assets for buildings,
utility systems, transportation networks and complex infrastructures
such as harbours and hospitals. The increasing impact due to
interactions between different components and systems is treated in a
comprehensive way, providing specifications for each network and
infrastructure. The proposed socio-economic model integrates social
vulnerability into the physical systems modelling approaches providing
to decision makers with a dynamic platform to capture post disaster
emergency issues like shelter demand and health impact decisions.
Application examples at city and regional scale have provided the
necessary validation of the methodology and are also included in the
book.
The present volume, with its companion volume on fragility functions,
represent a significant step forward in the seismic vulnerability and
risk assessment of complex interacting urban and regional systems and
infrastructures. These volumes are not only of interest to scientists
and engineers but also to the insurance industry, decision makers and
practitioners in the sector of civil protection and seismic risk
management.
(*) Pitilakis K, Crowley E, Kaynia A (eds) (2014) SYNER-G: Typology
definition and fragility functions for physical elements at seismic
risk, Series: Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake Engineering 27,
ISBN 978-94-007-7872-6, Springer Science+Business Media, Dordrecht.
