Multi-hazard scenarios and impact mapping for a protected built area in bucharest, as a base for emergency planning

Abstract

In urban areas, there is a need to evaluate the dynamics and impacts of impending disasters, in order to ensure planning for resilience, emergency actions, and humanitarian support. In this respect, a Bucharest area that suffered a deep trauma in the 1980s was studied. The total or partial demolition of the old urban fabric was ordered by the authoritarian regime to build a new Civic Center. The area was declared as a protected built area in the 1990s. The inventory of the building stock was done in the framework of this project, based on data on building’s age, height, and materials. Additionally, the cultural value was studied with scoring criteria and methods, based on the six scaling stages of the Romanian Law of Monuments. The functional value, as well as the seismic damage and vulnerability, was evaluated for existing building classes. The paper presents examples of multihazard scenarios elaborated for this area, considering earthquakes, flooding, and terrorist attacks on public institutions. The spatial databases and online tools were used for mapping the buildings, as well as hazard impacts. According to the results of the above scenarios, shelters/security centers can be created, for earthquake evacuation, in the nearby “Mihai Eminescu” College while, for high-level flooding, the refuge and shelter area should be located in a higher place, near the Academy House or the Romanian Parliament. For other hazards, a center located either at “Mihai Eminescu” College or in Izvor Park is recommended.