Determining Vulnerability Indicators of Buildings for Sea-Level Rise and Floods in Urban Coastal Areas

Abstract

Projected sea-level rise and floods due to climate change impacts are the hazards threatening urban coastal areas. In the literature on mitigation and adaptation, it is determined that studies in the field of architectural design for the assessment of risks and vulnerabilities to these hazards are not yet at a sufficient level. This study aims to determine the vulnerability indicators of buildings due to architectural design decisions in the urban coastal areas facing the risk of sea-level rise and flood hazards. In this direction, it is argued that the decisions that are taken regarding the building and its environment during the architectural design process can be interpreted as vulnerability indicators in vulnerability assessments of buildings to be made in the context of these hazards. In this context, an indicator-based assessment framework is proposed as a method of examining the vulnerability and climate resilience capacity of design practices in urban coastal areas. The first stage of the research methodology includes the results of a literature review to identify indicators of building vulnerability. In the second stage, these indicators were presented for expert opinions and analyzed with the Delphi method and an assessment framework was created. This assessment framework is designed to serve as a decision-making tool or checklist for decision makers, facilitating the integration of vulnerability indicators into the design, implementation, and retrofitting of buildings in urban coastal areas. Due to its hierarchical, yet flexible, and adaptable structure, it can be used by architects, urban planners, and policy makers in terms of assessing buildings and its environments so that actions for adaptation can be implemented.