Multi-vulnerability analysis for seismic risk management in historic city centres: an application to the historic city centre of La Serena, Chile

A comprehensive understanding of the elements at risk, through the identification of the main hazards, level of exposure and different dimensions of the vulnerability of the communities, is an essential step toward the definition and adoption of more effective risk reduction strategies. Historic urban centres have received special attention in the assessment of damage and physical vulnerability to earthquakes, but it is well known that vulnerability also depends on the social and demographic characteristics of communities. This paper discusses the application of a holistic approach aimed at assessing the seismic vulnerability of historic urban centres by considering their physical and social dimensions. Two index-based methodologies are presented, and the data are analyzed using the CENSUS block as the unit of study, which is scarcely present in the literature. The results of both indices are crossed through a matrix, which allows the classification of the blocks in five levels of priority and are mapped using a Geographic Information System tool. The Historic city centre of La Serena, one of the oldest in Chile, was selected as a case study. This historic city centre still preserves historic buildings of raw earth of diverse architectural typologies widely distributed throughout the country, which makes it relevant, not only by itself but as a model that can be replicated and extrapolated to other historic centres of similar constructive characteristics.This work was fnanced by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) through the scholarship program DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2018—No. 72190590. This work was partly fnanced by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020. Also partially fnanced by the Postdoctoral Fondecyt project ANID/FONDECYT7321037

Multi-vulnerability analysis for seismic risk management in historic city centres: an application to the historic city centre of La Serena, Chile

A comprehensive understanding of the elements at risk, through the identification of the main hazards, level of exposure and different dimensions of the vulnerability of the communities, is an essential step toward the definition and adoption of more effective risk reduction strategies. Historic urban centres have received special attention in the assessment of damage and physical vulnerability to earthquakes, but it is well known that vulnerability also depends on the social and demographic characteristics of communities. This paper discusses the application of a holistic approach aimed at assessing the seismic vulnerability of historic urban centres by considering their physical and social dimensions. Two index-based methodologies are presented, and the data are analyzed using the CENSUS block as the unit of study, which is scarcely present in the literature. The results of both indices are crossed through a matrix, which allows the classification of the blocks in five levels of priority and are mapped using a Geographic Information System tool. The Historic city centre of La Serena, one of the oldest in Chile, was selected as a case study. This historic city centre still preserves historic buildings of raw earth of diverse architectural typologies widely distributed throughout the country, which makes it relevant, not only by itself but as a model that can be replicated and extrapolated to other historic centres of similar constructive characteristics

Structural characterization and seismic performance of San Francisco Church, the most ancient monument in Santiago, Chile

The Church of San Francisco is the oldest religious building in use in Chile and an iconic and historical heritage landmark of the capital Santiago. The church, the result of joint work between the Spanish and local indigenous people, was built in stone and brick masonry and has been modified by additions and constructive changes since its construction in 1586. The building has shown a remarkable resilience, withstanding about 15 destructive earthquakes. As part of research whose goal is to discover the basis of the structural behavior of the church, in this article a safety assessment of the monument is carried out based on a multi-disciplinary approach. Main fields comprises historical research, in situ surveys, crack pattern analysis, physical and mechanical characterization of materials, and multi-level structural analyses. The results highlight the particularities of the building and the current seismic vulnerabilities in order to provide a robust knowledge basis on which possibly pivoting future consolidation and safeguarding strategies could be done.NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCHFONDECYT for funding the research project ‘Initiation into Research 2013 number 1113062