Why should we bother about risk reduction at the urban scale? The Early Recovery System (ERS) framework to assess the impact of prevention instruments on post-quake urban functionality

Abstract

Italian seismic risk management has traditionally prioritized post-disaster recovery instead of effective urban prevention strategies. This approach carries significant costs, and the speed of recovery plays a critical role in determining whether communities choose to rebuild or relocate permanently. To accelerate post-earthquake recovery and enhance urban resilience, effective disaster risk reduction policies centered on urban prevention strategies to safeguard territorial safety effectively, are needed.

In this work, we introduced the Early Recovery System (ERS) framework that identifies essential urban elements with potential for seismic retrofitting. Through the calculation of 18 indicators over different time intervals and across three hypothetical scenarios in the case study of L’Aquila post 2009 earthquake, we generated recovery curves that illustrate urban functionality loss and recovery trajectories, to establish the optimal prevention strategy to be adopted.