Urban vulnerability and resiliency over water-related risks: A case study from Algiers

Abstract

The ad hoc management of natural environmental features and inappropriate social interventions could cause vulnerability of thriving urban ecosystems. For instance sub-aerial exposure, water-related hazards, urban intrinsic sensitivity, urban adaptation ability or flexibility and urban transformability factors could contribute a potential danger. In spite of seasonal climatic changes, the exposure indicates a significant geographical determinism whereas the other factors express its antithesis. The present paper aims to adapt a vulnerability-resilience indicators' multicriteria analysis to show the variability and contribution rate with regard to local water-related risks. The municipality of al-Harrash from Algiers has been selected as a case study. The urban vulnerability-resilience closely tied up with a sum of relevant indicators confirmed by the diagnosis items, which are relevant to the local urban and hydro systems. The cumulative sums are obtained from a classification process referring to several criteria implied in the water-related risks. These were formulated here for the purpose of a multicriteria analysis with the objective of assessing the urban vulnerability- resilience index and subsequently orientating the preventive strategy towards different levels of sustainable measures. With this respect the exposure and sensitivity received a significant score while adaptation ability and transformability scored very low.