Economic impediments to successful seismic retrofitting decisions

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temitope Egbelakin ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  
Jason Ingham
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Seismic Retrofitting ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Property Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Property Owners ◽  
Earthquake Risk Mitigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine why building owners are often reluctant to adopt adequate mitigation measures despite the vulnerability of their buildings to earthquake disasters, by exploring the economic-related barriers to earthquake mitigation decisions. Design/methodology/approach – A case study research method was adopted and interviews chosen as the method of data collection. Findings – Critical economic-related impediments that inhibited seismic retrofitting of earthquake-prone buildings were revealed in this study. Economic-related barriers identified include perception about financial involvement in retrofitting, property market conditions, high insurance premiums and deductibles, and the high cost of retrofitting. The availability of financial incentives such as low interest loans, tax deductibles, the implementation of a risk-based insurance premium scale and promoting increased knowledge and awareness of seismic risks and mitigation measures in the property market place are likely to address the economic-related challenges faced by property owners when undertaking seismic retrofitting projects. The provision of financial incentives specifically for seismic retrofitting should be introduced in policy-implementation programme tailored to local governments’ level of risks exposure and available resources. Practical implications – The recommendations provided in this study suggest strategies and answers to questions aimed at understanding the types of incentives that city councils and environmental hazard managers should focus on in their attempt to ensure that property owners actively participate in earthquake risk mitigation. Originality/value – This paper adopts a holistic perspective for investigating earthquake risk mitigation by examining the opinions of the different stakeholders involved in seismic retrofit decisions.

scholarly journals STAKEHOLDERS' PRACTICES: A CHALLENGE TO EARTHQUAKE RISK MITIGATION DECISIONS

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temitope EGBELAKIN ◽  
Suzanne WILKINSON ◽  
Regan POTANGAROA ◽  
James ROTIMI
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Active Regions ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Property Market ◽  
Earthquake Insurance ◽  
Property Owners ◽  
Risk Preparedness ◽  
Earthquake Risk Mitigation

Enhancing building owners’ earthquake risk preparedness has been a major challenge in many seismically active regions. Many property owners are found unwilling to adopt adequate risk mitigation measures in their earthquake-prone buildings, despite the availability of various technical design solutions and the enactment of intervening legislative frameworks necessary to facilitate successful earthquake risk preparedness. This paper examined the rationale behind building owners’ unwillingness to adopt adequate mitigation measures with a view to improve current stakeholders’ practices in earthquake risk mitigation. Using a mixed-method approach, comprising both qualitative and quantitative methods, an examination of the decision-making process and different stakeholders involved in earthquake risk mitigation and the property market, provided insights into the causal agents and stakeholder practices that pose challenges to property owners’ mitigation decisions. Stake-holder practices acting as impediments revealed are property valuation assessment of retrofitted and non-retrofitted EPBs, lack of demand for improved performance in older buildings, high earthquake insurance policy premiums and deductibles, and lack of a risk assessment information system. An in-depth understanding of these challenges highlights the need for a holistic approach that should incorporate market-based incentives necessary for successful earthquake preparedness by building owners, and for designing effective strategies for improving earthquake risk mitigation.

A survey on evacuation planning and its challenges for potential earthquake in Tehran

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kambod Amini Hosseini ◽  
Maziar Hosseini ◽  
Solmaz Hosseinioon ◽  
Yasamin O. Izadkhah ◽  
Tomoko Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Evacuation Planning ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Evacuation Plans ◽  
Earthquake Risk Mitigation

Purpose – The paper aims to introduce the activities carried out for preparing evacuation plans in Tehran and the challenges observed for involving local communities in earthquake risk mitigation. Design/methodology/approach – In order to prepare the evacuation plans, at first the earthquake risk at different scenarios was determined and the potential damages and casualties at neighborhood levels were estimated accordingly. Then, by considering geological and man-made hazards as well as socio-economic parameters, the potential evacuation places were investigated to be equipped with necessary materials for emergency conditions. In addition, some drills were organized at each neighborhood, and the residents were trained about evacuation and other necessary activities at time of crisis. Findings – The methodology developed in this research provides practical means for promoting public participation and earthquake risk mitigation. Furthermore, the paper proposes some measures for involving local communities in risk reduction activities. Research limitations/implications – Considering the complexities of socio-economic conditions in Tehran, the plan was implemented at two different neighborhoods in 2008. Therefore, similar researches should be conducted in other places to make generalized evacuation plans. Originality/value – This paper introduces new methods for promoting preparedness and discusses the impacts of socio-economic conditions on developing risk mitigation plans.

scholarly journals Integrated framework for enhancing earthquake risk mitigationn decisions

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-51
Author(s):  
Temitope Egbelakin ◽  
◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  
Jason Ingham ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Seismic Rehabilitation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Property Owners ◽  
Protective Behaviours ◽  
Seismic Mitigation

The increasing scale of losses from earthquake disasters has reinforced the need for property owners to become proactive in seismic risk reduction programs. However, despite advancement in seismic design methods and legislative frameworks, building owners are found unwilling or lack motivation to adopt adequate mitigation measures that will reduce their vulnerability to earthquake disasters. Various theories and empirical findings have been used to explain the adoption of protective behaviours including seismic mitigation decisions, but their application has been inadequate to enhance building owners’ protective decisions. A holistic framework that incorporates the motivational orientations of decision-making, coupled with the social, cultural, economic, regulatory, institutional and political realms of earthquake risk mitigation to enhance building owners’ decisions to voluntarily implement adequate mitigation measures, is proposed. This framework attempts to address any multi-disciplinary barriers that exist in earthquake disaster management, by ensuring that stakeholders involved in seismic mitigation decisions work together to foster seismic rehabilitation of EPBs, as well as illuminate strategies that will initiate, promote and sustain the adoption of long-term earthquake mitigation.

Evaluating the cost and benefits of earthquake protection of buildings

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetto Manganelli ◽  
Marco Vona ◽  
Pierfrancesco De Paola
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Seismic Risk ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Tax Incentives ◽  
Seismic Retrofitting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Seismic Risk Mitigation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Earthquake Protection ◽  
Real Estate Assets

Purpose The purpose of this study is the evaluation of the cost and benefits of earthquake protection of buildings to verify whether the legislative push, through tax incentives, will produce results and lead to a redevelopment of private real estate assets. Design/methodology/approach Through contingent valuation, this research aims to measure the propensity of homeowners to invest in the seismic security of their properties. The sample of homeowners was selected in a southern Italy city, which was characterized by a medium-high seismic hazard. The willingness to pay, once made independent from the family income, was compared with the actual cost of a seismic retrofitting technique to assess its cost-effectiveness. Findings The analysis developed on an example case shows that the economic sustainability of the intervention is only verified when considering the current tax incentives for this type of intervention. Practical implications Choosing to introduce a system to compulsory insurance against seismic risk could certainly be a strong incentive for the implementation of retrofitting interventions on private real estate assets. In this direction, investigations like this can be fundamental to establish the fair risk premium. Originality/value The need for effective seismic risk mitigation policies is also based on the growing awareness of the, often fatal, effects of seismic events, emphasized by the recent medium and high intensity events that hit Italy. The issue of the security of residential buildings is therefore a very topical issue in view of their high seismic vulnerability and the vast number of buildings requiring major seismic retrofitting. Therefore, the propensity of owners to intervene in improving the seismic performance of their properties can be crucial in seismic risk mitigation.

Public Support For Earthquake Risk Mitigation In Portland, Oregon

Risk Analysis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Flynn ◽  
Paul Slovic ◽  
C. K. Mertz ◽  
Cathie Carlisle
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Earthquake Risk Mitigation

scholarly journals EARTHQUAKE RISK MITIGATION: THE IMPACT OF SEISMIC RETROFITTING STRATEGIES ON URBAN RESILIENCE

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Miguel FERREIRA ◽  
Rui MAIO
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Seismic Retrofitting ◽  
Structural Safety ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Masonry Building ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
The Impact

It is recognized that both community and urban resilience depends on the capacity of built environment to maintain acceptable structural safety levels during and after unforeseeable events, such as earthquakes, as well as to recover their original functionality. Investing in disaster risk mitigation policies is a great step towards promoting urban resilience and community preparedness, implicitly limiting damage to the built environment and subsequently reducing human, economic and environmental losses. Portugal is a moderate to high seismic prone area as the latest estimates indicate that within the next 50 years the country could be severely hit by a strong quake similar to the histori­cal 1755 event, which left a trail of destruction and death, mainly in densely populated areas, such as Lisbon. This manuscript aims to mitigate the impact of earthquake damage scenarios on social and economical terms, as well as evaluating the outcome of implementing traditional retrofitting strategies to existing masonry building stock located in urban areas of high seismic risk, using the old city centre of Horta, Faial island (Azores, Portugal), as a case study.

Risk mitigation modelling of international construction projects executed by Indian firms: a structural equation modelling approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 2687-2713
Author(s):  
Satish Kumar Viswanathan ◽  
Kumar Neeraj Jha
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
International Construction ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
International Projects

PurposeA number of previous studies have investigated international construction project risks and have proposed risk mitigation measures without examining their interdependence. The purpose of the current study is to identify the influence of various risk mitigation measures on macro-level risk factors in the international marketplace.Design/methodology/approachThe authors initially identified 26 risk variables and nine risk mitigation measures through a literature review, which were then verified for their pertinence to international projects by three experts. Subsequently, 105 questionnaire survey responses were collected and analysed using factor analysis and structural equation modelling to test the interrelations between the risk variables and mitigation measures.FindingsThe findings suggest that joint ventures with local partners is emerged as the most critical risk mitigation measure that influences the international projects, which are exposed to political, project and firm-specific risk factors. Further, it is worth noting that among the recognised risk mitigation measures in international projects, offering more local employment is the least critical mitigation measure in the international projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study are based on the macro-risk factors encountered by Indian construction firms in international projects, mostly from specific Asian and African regions. Thus, the opinions of construction firms from the developed countries might be different.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study to existing knowledge is empirical evidence of the interrelationships between risk mitigation measures and risk factors that are portrayed as latent variables of different manifest risk variables. The generated model can assist construction firms in emphasising several risk mitigation methods, in order to reduce risk and enhance performance in international construction projects.

Design and construction risks in BOT type mega transportation projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2223-2242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hande Aladağ ◽  
Zeynep Işık
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Construction Risks ◽  
Design And Construction

Purpose In build-operate-transfer (BOT) transportation projects, design and construction phases are critical in terms of their effect on time and cost overruns. The purpose of this paper is to identify the role of risk factors affecting these phases and their significance level for BOT transportation projects. Design/methodology/approach Design and construction risks were determined and then validated by focus group discussions. Afterwards, an illustrated case study was presented to better understand the effects of determined risks in a BOT mega transportation project. As the last step of the study, the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process method was used to prioritize risk factors. Findings The prominent risk factors were found out as occupational accidents, integration between design and construction phases and excessive design variations. Research limitations/implications Different kinds of BOT transportation projects in different countries might be executed very differently considering specific social, political, economic and other factors. However, the results of the study are important in terms of the specific lessons learned from the case study that can be used as a foundation for developing possible risk mitigation measures. Originality/value Though the risk management of BOT projects has been investigated frequently in the literature, there is a knowledge gap in the quantitative evaluation of risk significance specific to design and construction risks. The prioritization of determined risks with an associated case from a mega transportation project will contribute to the BOT project practitioners about possible challenges in design and construction phases in BOT mega transportation projects.

Multi-hazard disaster risk identification for World Cultural Heritage sites in seismic zones

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ravankhah ◽  
Michael Schmidt ◽  
Thomas Will
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
World Cultural Heritage ◽  
Secondary Hazards

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated multi-risk identification procedure for World Cultural Heritage (WCH) sites exposed to seismic events, while considering characteristics of disasters from earthquakes in a multi-hazard context on one side and particular aspects of WCH (e.g. outstanding universal values and associated condition of authenticity and integrity) on the other. Design/methodology/approach An interdisciplinary review of current relevant approaches, methods, and practices is conducted through the existing literature of disaster risk management, heritage conservation, and seismology. Furthermore, a document analysis of concrete cases affected by seismic events supports concepts and the procedure. Findings This paper results in a methodology of identifying multi-risk of disasters induced by earthquakes. A bow-tie analysis diagram in combination with a risk identification matrix is developed for illustrating a multiple emergency scenario in identifying possible impacts of earthquakes’ primary effects, secondary hazards, and human-threats on tangible and intangible attributes of cultural properties. Practical implications The research aims to provide specialists and practitioners from multiple sectors engaged in pre-disaster risk mitigation and preparedness plan for cultural heritage with a practical risk identification tool. The proposed method, in a multiple hazard context, intends to enhance risk assessment procedure for determining more appropriate risk reduction strategies in the decision-making process. Originality/value This paper, through emphasising “earthquake disaster risk” rather than “earthquake risk”, illuminates the significance of quake-followed secondary hazards, potential human-induced hazards and human errors in the risk identification process, due to the fact that while a disaster may begin with a quake, its full scope might be triggered by a combination of the mentioned potential threats.

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