One of the main problems in Sudden Onset Disasters (SUODs) assessment and mitigation relies on the definition of effective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to support the proper and complete understanding of risk conditions. Although a lot of indicators are provided by literature, most of them are still limited in view of users' behaviours in emergencies, as well as duplicated items are evaluated by different indicators, providing a scattering picture on risk assessment.
In view of the above, and according to WP4 activities, BE S2ECURe has provided an analysis of KPIs derived from literature-based indicators to assess the impact of construction and morphological features of Built Environment Typologies (BETs) and user-related factors on urban open space risk (behaviors, exposure, vulnerability). KPIs are focused on historical Open spaces, in view of the project aims, and on terrorist acts and earthquakes as relevant SUODs, as defined in WP1 activities. KPIs are then applied to established BETs, that are archetypes from real-world configurations of urban open spaces, and tested in selected scenarios along with emergency simulations.
Results indicate significant variations among BETs, emphasizing the importance of factors, such as geometry (static KPIs) and evacuation behaviour (dynamic KPIs) in determining risk levels. Evacuation route length and complexity emerge as critical in larger BETs, while insufficient safe areas pose challenges in smaller ones. This KPI-based approach is recognized as a crucial step toward establishing a comprehensive metric for risk assessment in BE open spaces, with potential real-world applications to quantify the efficacy of risk mitigation measures. The results demonstrate the KPIs' potential in quantifying disaster risks and user behaviours, representing a crucial step towards an overarching metric for BE-risk assessment during SUODs in open spaces.
Results, based on D4.2.2, are now available in the new research contribution entitled "Behavioural-based risk of the Built Environment: Key Performance Indicators for Sudden-Onset Disaster in urban open spaces", which has been recently published in the international scientific journal International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction by Elsevier. The paper is available here in full open access.