Published 2026-07-29
Keywords
- Built environment,
- building vulnerability,
- user exposure,
- digital technologies,
- multi-hazard
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2026 Enrico Quagliarini, Mariella De Fino, Elena Cantatore, Fabio Fatiguso, Gabriele Bernardini

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Historic Urban Built Environments are stressed by several risks, which can be either single or combined, with effects exacerbated by heritage features, user dynamics, and poor resilience level. Herein, (multi-)risk reduction and mitigation imply following a user-centred, dynamic approach, exploiting simulation tools and virtual reality risk communications towards stakeholders to additionally increase awareness and preparedness. This research aims at developing predictive models and tools for assessing and mitigating single to multiple risks in these scenarios, considering the interactions of users with hazards, physical vulnerability factors, and deployable strategies. Examples from BE S2ECURe and ReACT projects, adopting this approach, are shown to demonstrate its capabilities.
Downloads
References
- An, Q. and Ochiai, C. (2025), “Urban morphology and disaster risk reduction: A systematic literature review”, Progress in Disaster Science, 27, p. 100455. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2025.100455.
- Baraldo, M. and Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P. (2024), “Place-centred emerging technologies for disaster management: A scoping review”, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 112, p. 104782. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104782.
- Bernardini, G., Sparvoli, G., et al. (2025), “Evaluating strategies for single to multi-risk mitigation in urban public open spaces: A behavioural simulation-based approach applied to Italian typological historical urban squares”, Cities, 166, p. 106267. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.106267.
- Bernardini, G., Cantatore, E., et al. (2025), Terrorist Risk in Urban Outdoor Built Environment. 1st edn. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore (SpringerBriefs in Architectural Design and Technology). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6965-0.
- de Bruijn, K.M. et al. (2016), “The storyline approach: a new way to analyse and improve flood event management”, Natural Hazards, Vol. 81(1), pp. 99-121. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-2074-2.
- Curt, C. (2021), “Multirisk: What trends in recent works? – A bibliometric analysis”, Science of The Total Environment, 763, p. 142951. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142951.
- Duan, X. and Fei, W. (2025), “Assessment of the Impact of Temporal and Spatial Factors on the Emergency Evacuation Capacity of External Spaces in High-Density Urban Communities during Earthquake Disasters”, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, pp. 105760. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105760.
- De Fino, M., Bernardini, G., et al. (2025), “Flood Risk Management in Historic Centres: A Scalable Typological Framework Integrating GIS, Bim and Vr’”, SSRN Electronic Journal [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5375831.
- De Fino, M., Cassano, F., et al. (2025), “On the user-based assessments of virtual reality for public safety training in urban open spaces depending on immersion levels”, Safety Science, 185, pp. 106803. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2025.106803.
- Julià, P.B. and Ferreira, T.M. (2021) “From single- to multi-hazard vulnerability and risk in Historic Urban Areas: a literature review”, Natural Hazards, Vol. 108(1), pp. 93-128. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-04734-5.
- Polese, M. et al. (2024), “Multi-risk assessment in transboundary areas: A framework for harmonized evaluation considering seismic and flood risks”, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 101, pp. 104275. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104275.
- Sharifi, A. (2019), “Urban form resilience: A meso-scale analysis”, Cities, 93, pp. 238–252. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.05.010.
- Simonofski, A., Johannessen, M.R. and Stendal, K. (2024), “Extended reality for citizen participation: A conceptual framework, systematic review and research agenda”, Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 113, pp. 105692. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105692.
