Spatial connectivity as a recovery process indicator: The L'Aquila earthquake

Diana Contreras, Thomas Blaschke, Stefan Kienberger and Peter Zeil

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2013, vol. 80, issue 9, 1782-1803

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to prove that spatial connectivity can be an effective spatial indicator for monitoring and evaluating the recovery process after the event of an earthquake. It integrates variables such as distance, travel time and quality of public transport service. We hypothesize that there is a relationship between the connectivity to the central business districts in cities, and the satisfaction with the locations of new settlements assigned to the homeless population during a recovery process. If this hypothesis holds true, then the satisfaction with new settlements will be correlated with the inhabitants' preference to either stay, or to search for a new site. This will then support the evaluation of the success of a recovery process. To prove this relationship we investigated the twelve months recovery process in L'Aquila in Italy. Spatial data sets were used and analyzed using GIS. Fieldwork data and interviews were conducted in order to investigate the satisfaction of persons living in newly established places outside of the city. We compared the strength of the desire of the interviewees to move away, against the travel distance and travel time to the city center. The statistical analysis reveals that the preference to search for another place was significantly correlated with the distance between new settlements and the city center of L'Aquila. To a lesser degree it was correlated with the travel time. The regression indicated that the distance between the new settlements and the inner city strongly influences the preference to either stay or to move.

Keywords: Vulnerability; Earthquakes; Recovery; Indicators; Spatial connectivity; GIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:80:y:2013:i:9:p:1782-1803

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2012.12.001

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