SYNER-G: Systemic Seismic Vulnerability and Risk Assessment of Complex Urban, Utility, Lifeline Systems and Critical Facilities

SYNER-G allowed the development of an innovative methodological framework for the assessment of physical as well as socio-economic seismic vulnerability and risk at urban and regional level. It paved new ground in the seismic risk assessment of complex interacting systems by proposing methods and simulation software tools to consider inter-element and intra-systems interdependencies, including socio-economic features, in a comprehensive probabilistic framework. The results of this multidisciplinary effort funded by the European Union are presented in two books both published in Springer, the present and a second one, entitled SYNER-G: Typology Definition and Fragility Functions for Physical Elements at Seismic Risk: Buildings, Lifelines, Transportation Networks and Critical Facilities ( ), which provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of the fragility curves, an alternative way to express physical vulnerability of elements at risk.§In this second volume of SYNER-G, the focus has been on presenting a unified holistic methodology for assessing vulnerability at systems level considering interdependencies between elements at risk (physical and non-physical) belonging to different systems and between different systems. The proposed methodology and tool encompasses in an integrated fashion all aspects in the chain, from hazard to the vulnerability assessment of components and systems and to the socio-economic impacts of an earthquake, accounting for most relevant uncertainties within an efficient quantitative simulation scheme, and modelling interactions between the multiple component systems. It systematically integrates the most advanced fragility or vulnerability functions to assess the vulnerability of physical assets for the following systems: buildings and building aggregates; utility systems including water, waste water, gas, oil and electric power networks; transportation networks including roadways, railways and harbour systems and critical facilities such as hospitals. The increasing impact due to interdependencies and intra-dependencies between different components and among different interacting systems is treated in a comprehensive way, providing specifications for each network and infrastructure. The proposed socio-economic model integrates social vulnerability into the physical systems modelling approaches providing to decision makers with a dynamic platform to capture post disaster emergency issues like shelter demand and health impact decisions.§Application examples at city and regional scale provided the necessary validation of the methodology. The present volume, with its companion one on the fragility functions, represent a significant step forward in the seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of complex interacting urban and regional systems, aggregates and networks. They are addressing not only to scientists and engineers but also to the insurance industry, decision makers and practitioners in the sector of civil protection and seismic risk management.§( ) Pitilakis K, Crowley E, Kaynia A (eds) (2014) SYNER-G: Typology definition and fragility functions for physical elements at seismic risk, Series: Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake Engineering 27, ISBN 978-94-007-7872-6, Springer Science+Business Media, Dordrecht.§