R.I.S.Q: Risk Assessment Tool for Quito

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda require building resilience and effective risk management in order to achieve a better possible future. It is also true that no urban sustainability is possible without taking into account the risk dimension. In this sense, indices are increasingly important for emergency and sustainable development planning at different levels, particularly with respect to identifying vulnerable settlements and mapping disaster potential. This paper provides both a critical literature review and an empirical case study that highlight the importance of different types of decisions in the construction of risk index. However, during the exercise, it was clear that a risk index to be constructed with contextual sensibility can be challenging, especially around what indicators should be included, or how should they be aggregated, and if they should have differentiated weights. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a method of analysis, first based on existing information, second by proposing an aggregation method, and third proposing an overall risk index that can be graphically displayed. The case study focuses on the main natural hazards, exposure, and the social vulnerability of Quito, Ecuador. Overall results are calculated by applying Pareto ranking. The paper aims at providing an effective index to inform decision making and for effective urban planning in multirisks cities, with the final goal to reduce physical impacts and propose effective, sustainable, and resilient urban strategies.