Vulnerability Analysis of Urban Defense Using Analytic Hierarchy Process(Case Study: The Second City Area of Shiraz)

One of the most important goals of urbanization is providing safety and security for its inhabitants. So, the safety of the city to protect citizens as well as public and private property against natural and abnormal disasters by adopting new methods, is necessary at all levels. Cities as gathering centers of physical and human capitals are often the target of enemies.  Due to the presence of vital land uses in the city, each region is important hence, the planning to reduce damages, create safety and related sustainability there, is one of the most important actions. Accordingly, passive defense is important in policy making as well. In many cases, converting the crisis of war and disasters into tragedy is the inefficiency of urbanism condition from the defensive point of view. Therefore, it is essential to assess the vulnerability and create appropriate solutions to reduce such damages. The case study, here, is the second municipal area of Shiraz, which in this research is divided into zones, after studying 14 effective indexes of urban texture’s vulnerability. Using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system (GIS), the vulnerability level of the second city area has been determined as: low, medium and high. The research findings show that 7.2%, 43.7% and 49.08% of the second area were in low, medium and high risk zones, respectively. Areas 6 and 13 in low risk zones, Areas 1, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 12 in the middle zone, as well as Areas 2, 3, 8, 9, 11 and 14, are in high risk zone. Priorities of planning and the crisis management are provided taking into account the structural consideration of the city and its level of vulnerability.