Assessment of Urban Neighbourhoods’ Vulnerability through an Integrated Vulnerability Index (IVI): Evidence from Barcelona, Spain

Gonzalo Piasek (), Iraide Fernández Aragón, Julia Shershneva and Pilar Garcia-Almirall
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Gonzalo Piasek: Architectural Technology Department, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Iraide Fernández Aragón: Sociology and Social Work Department, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
Julia Shershneva: Sociology and Social Work Department, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
Pilar Garcia-Almirall: Architectural Technology Department, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Urban inequality, specifically in vulnerable areas, has been a study topic from the earliest days of sociology to the present. This study’s objective is to discuss the scope and limitation of the concept of urban vulnerability, whilst generating an index that detects urban vulnerability in all its dimensions. A factor analysis of the main components was conducted resulting in the formation of four partial indices related to the social class, gentrification, social and employment, and physical & architectural dimensions of urban vulnerability, whilst their sums conform an integrated vulnerability index. This index is applied to the city of Barcelona, allowing its neighbourhoods to be positioned on a vulnerability continuum. Despite being applied in this city, the integrated vulnerability index emerges with the purpose of being replicated to other urban spaces. The mapping of these results using geographic information systems suggests a robust index that allows early identification of problematics, while also providing clues for policy intervention.

Keywords: inequality; vulnerability; neighbourhood; factor analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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