Abstract:The concept of risk has become increasingly complex, and has been used not only in relation to the natural features of a region, but also to its socio-economic context. In this conceptualization, the latter directly influences the capacity of a community to cope with, recover from, and adapt to natural hazards. Conceiving vulnerability as a measure of a socio-ecological system's resilience, and at the same time, as a multidimensional variable that changes in space and time, makes the study of the different ways in which natural hazards impact on society all the more urgent. This is particularly true for developing countries, where risk related to natural hazards affects populations and areas that must deal with stress conditions, such as humanitarian, social and military emergencies. This article presents a methodology for the analysis of social vulnerability, defined and experimented in the context of the international cooperation project "Estudio de la amenaza sísmica y vulnerabilidad física del Gran Santo Domingo". The methodology, implemented through the employment of a Geographic Information System, led to the elaboration of a "Social Vulnerability Index" and a "Social Vulnerability Map". These seek to describe the current condition of vulnerability of the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (Distrito Nacional) in the Dominican Republic (DR), and are used to define context-related vulnerability scenarios, as well as to indicate the adequate set of mitigation objectives and actions. The results highlight the importance of using social vulnerability study as the point of departure for defining seismic-risk mitigation policies, emergency management, and territorial planning in order to reduce the impacts of disasters.

This paper is about developing a methodological framework for a multidimensional spatial decision-making process oriented to the identification of a territorial transformation strategy reflecting shared values. Through the empirical investigation in an operative case study, the Avellino-Rocchetta S. Antonio railway line, in the South of Italy, an integrated evaluative approach implemented in a SDSS can make us go beyond space and hierarchical limits. Taking into account the different multidimensional components of decision-making process, making clear the weights and recognizing the different priorities, fit and situated strategies have been identified, according to an interactive and dynamic dialogue among expertise and local communities

The paper explores the consequences of resilience loss in some social-ecological components of Venice port-city in Italy and suggests integrated sustainable strategies on increasing their stress response capability. The urban model of Venice depends on two influential factors: the natural balance between land and water, and the social-economic dependence between mainland and islands. The authors adopt a broad framework of urban spaces and water environment, considering Venice as a complex regional unit, highly dynamic and sensitive. The adaptive balance historically reached by population and nature in Venice has been altered, because of a non-sustainable economic expansion, and tourism policy. The paper adopts a multi-dimensional approach, integrating the cognitive and evaluative dimensions with the technical and economic ones, in order to define possible strategies of action through Multi-Criteria Analysis and ANP method, able to play a strategic role in enhancing resilience at various scale

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