Resilience of Public Open Spaces to Earthquakes: A Case Study of Chongqing, China

Abstract

Public open spaces (POSs) can be crucial during earthquakes, serving as essential places for recovery and mitigation. However, the ability of POSs to respond to earthquakes varies based on their degree of resilience. Resilience plays a significant role in ensuring effective responsiveness to earthquakes in POSs, in addition to enhancing their daily use in normal times. By exploring and examining the earthquake resilience criteria that can be incorporated into the planning and design of POSs, this study aims to determine and enhance the ability of POSs to provide an effective response during earthquakes. Four main criteria consisting of twelve sub-criteria of earthquake resilience are investigated. The resilience criteria are applied and compared in 169 POSs in three different areas in Chongqing municipality in China. A geographic information system (GIS) is used to study the earthquake-resilience criteria of the POSs. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to weight the resilience criteria. Weighted overlay analysis (OWA) is used to determine the degrees of earthquake resilience of POSs. The results show the different potentials for earthquake resilience in POSs according to the area characteristics and POS type. The results also show that the current resilience degree of POSs is insufficient to respond effectively to earthquakes, especially severe ones. This study provides a valuable source for enhancing cities’ resilience against earthquake disasters.