Giada Limongi

TL;DR: In this paper, an indicator-based method to carry out a comprehensive exposure and vulnerability analysis has been outlined and tested on a case study area, the multi-hazard urban area of Campi Flegrei, located in the western part of the metropolitan city of Naples in the South of Italy.

TL;DR: A review of European and international research on vulnerability over the past twenty years is presented, exploring the state-of-the-art of research studies on vulnerability and pointing out the definitions given for the multiple facets of vulnerability and its spatial, systemic, and dynamic dimensions.

Abstract: Numerous scholars have recently focused on the multiple challenges—from the environmental crisis to the impacts of climate change and natural and man-made hazards—threatening cities’ future. Most of them have clearly highlighted the increasing interdependencies among these threats, their close dependency on urban development processes, as well as the need for avoiding policy silos and promoting cross-sectoral strategies in the face of these challenges. In this line, the contribution explores the interactions among urban development processes, loss and/or degradation of natural resources, climate change and disaster risks. Then, focusing on the Metropolitan City of Naples, it highlights difficulties and opportunities arising from a better integration of the available fragmented and sector-oriented knowledge, as a key step to provide planners and decision makers with a comprehensive understanding of human and natural dynamics capable to support cross-sectoral strategies for a sustainable and resilient urban development.

Abstract: About 70 percent of Italian municipalities that have fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are located in difficult to access mountain areas which are often prone to multiple hazards. As clearly demonstrated by the seismic events that hit Central Italy in 2016, the socio-economic decline of these municipalities is also increasing their vulnerability. Nowadays, small villages represent an important challenge for Italy, because they require significant resources and effective strategies to both break the cycle of decline and promote their economic and social development, while also reducing their vulnerability to natural and climate related hazards. This contribution provides an overview of the initiatives recently launched in Italy in favour of small villages and outlines a methodological path to assess and enhance the overall resilience of these areas, with a focus on a case study area located in the Basilicata Region of Southern Italy.