Spatial analysis of geomorphic hazards in order to identify safe residential areas (Case study: urban areas of Gilan province)

Geomorphic hazards have occurred continuously and throughout history in different areas of the globe and continue to do so. But we recognize these events as a danger when they threaten human settlements and cause damage to man-made buildings, facilities, and equipment. Also, since humanity has not been able to prevent the occurrence of many of these dangers, the best solution is to stay away from these dangers. However, many human settlements are placed in risky situations in terms of geomorphic hazards, which is a potential threat to them. Therefore, by identifying high-risk and safe residential areas, it is possible to prepare to deal with risks and to use safe residential areas in urban planning in future developments and constructions. Based on this, the present research was conducted with this concern to identify safe residential zones in Guilan province, which is considered a high-risk province in terms of geomorphic hazards, through spatial analysis. The research method is mixed or combined (quantitative and qualitative) and a combination of library and field methods was used to collect data and information. The results of this research showed that based on the opinions of specialists and experts, the most important geomorphic hazards that are considered as a threat to the urban areas of Guilan province include earthquakes, floods, landslides, erosion, subsidence, and liquefaction, respectively. In terms of the spatial distribution of safe residential areas, based on what was obtained from the output of the fuzzy model in the GIS software, 51.5% of the ​​Guilan province is covered by unsafe and relatively unsafe levels in terms of geomorphic hazards. On the other hand, safe and relatively safe zones cover 23.4% of the area of ​​Guilan province, and 25.1% of the area of ​​the province is covered by the medium security zone.