Abstract. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of school buildings in Tehran city based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographical information system (GIS). To this end, the peak ground acceleration, slope, and soil liquefaction layers were utilized for developing a geotechnical map. Also, the construction materials of structures, age of construction, the quality, and the seismic resonance coefficient layers were defined as major factors affecting the structural vulnerability of school buildings. Then, the AHP method was applied to assess the priority rank and weight of criteria (layers) and alternatives (classes) of each criterion via pairwise comparison in all levels. Finally, the geotechnical and structural spatial layers were overlaid to develop the seismic vulnerability map of school buildings in Tehran. The results indicated that only in 72 (about 3 %) out of 2125 school buildings of the study area will the destruction rate be very high and therefore their reconstruction should seriously be considered.

Abstract. The objective of the study was to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of school buildings in Tehran city based on analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and geographical information systems (GIS). Therefore, to this end, the peak ground acceleration, slope and soil liquefaction layers were used for preparation geotechnical map. Also, the construction materials of structures, year of construction, their quality and seismic resonance coefficient layers were defined as major affecting factors in structural vulnerability of schools. Then, the AHP method was applied to assess the priority rank and weight of criteria (layers) and alternatives (classes) of each criterion through pair wise comparison in all levels. Finally, geotechnical and structural spatial layers were overlaid to prepare the seismic vulnerability map of school buildings in Tehran city. The results indicated that only in 72 schools (about 3%) out of 2125 schools in the study area, the destruction rate is very high and therefore their reconstruction should be considered.