Introducing a Framework for Planning and Selecting Suitable Evacuation and Emergency Sheltering in Disasters: Case Study of Tehranpars District

This study presents a pattern for planning and evacuation and emergency sheltering management based on the risk of disasters and human and physical vulnerability, and thus it can be used for taking necessary actions in urban settlements and improve preparedness for dealing with disasters. In addition, the most important use of this study is in disaster situations such as earthquakes or floods where there is not enough time to plan and therefore this research would be very practical.

To accomplish this research, weak points of previous research about emergency sheltering was investigated and defined at first in order to specify the difference and novelty of the present work. Then, an AHP questionnaire was designed in order to determine the weight and importance of effective parameters which are efficient in the identification of proper places, and was distributed among experts. A model was prepared from the results with different parameters and concerning the rate and importance of each parameter. A conceptual/ mathematical pattern was established for various native and climate conditions.

This research showed that lack of proximity of the emergency shelters to the dangerous places, assurance of the neighborhood health issues (with 0/0072), and probable fire occurrence in that location (with 0/0063), are the most effective factors in selecting an appropriate location for emergency shelters which has been derived from the results of this hierarchical analysis. Also, choosing these factors from various aspects shows the high importance of the parameters and their effects in assessing the selected emergency shelters, which has not been considered comprehensively in other studies and research so far. In addition, the speed in choosing the most appropriate location in the shortest time from the existing alternatives and identifying the weaknesses of the locations is one of the most important outcomes of this research.

The model obtained in the Tehran Pars area was implemented as a case study and according to it, the parks of the Shohadaye Tehran Pars, Aralia, and Mehrnami were identified as the most suitable places for sheltering in disaster situations. The results of this model showed that the West of Tehranpars will face a shortage of space in the occurrence of future disasters.