Evaluation of City’s Structural Vulnerability to Earthquake with Non-Active Defense Approach (Case Study: District 2 of Tehran)

An earthquake as a natural phenomenon is a risky and crisis-making event that by not being prepared to face it, makes the society vulnerable. The experience of earthquakes in our country has shown that there is no readiness to deal with this natural phenomenon in the country. In such circumstances, an earthquake occurring in one of the big and crowded cities of the country such as Tehran, can lead to irreparable damages. On the other hand, if it is not possible to prevent an earthquake, it is possible to reduce the damage it causes, and most importantly to save people's lives against this natural occurrence. In short, the earthquake vulnerability of the city of Tehran especially the 2nd district, and the importance of maintaining the safety and security of citizens as one of the most important goals of urban planning, highlight the necessity of this project.In this research, the theoretical framework was carried out by collecting information through library and electronic resources and articles. The vulnerability of the urban structure to earthquakes was studied with the passive defense approach, based on experts' opinions and review of previous studies, and the dimensions and suggested criteria were determined. Then, the paired comparisons of indicators were carried out with the help of 15 faculty members and experts specializing in environmental planning, urban planning, rural planning and urban engineering. Their valuations are based on their experiences and studies. After the pair comparisons, the maps of the factors affecting the vulnerability of the urban structure of the area were standardized in the Idrisi environment, and the weight of each of the effective measures influencing the vulnerability of the structures in the layers, were applied in the GIS environment. Then the maps were combined to determine the vulnerability of the urban structure to earthquakes; the passive defense approach applied.