A resilience-based methodology for the multi-risk recovery of urban settlements to be implemented in sustainable planning and management tools

Post-disaster recovery remains a complex and underexplored dimension of disaster risk management, particularly within highly interconnected urban systems exposed to multi-hazard risks. Traditionally addressed from siloed perspectives, recovery efforts have often lacked integrated, resilience-based approaches that consider functional recovery within the broader urban context. In addition, pre-disaster recovery planning aimed at enhancing the recoverability of urban systems has received limited attention in both research and practice. This thesis aims to address these critical gaps. Following a comprehensive review of the challenges associated with multi-risk recovery in urban areas, it introduces a methodological framework designed to help identify the Minimum Urban System. This refers to the essential subset of urban components that must be preserved or rapidly restored to ensure the continued existence and functionality of a settlement in a post-disaster environment. The framework addresses this problem across multiple spatial scales and incorporates various methods and data sources, including participatory planning, multi-hazard risk impact analysis, network analysis, and GIS tools. The framework provides indicators to help decision-makers identify key urban assets including buildings and open spaces that should be prioritized for investment and preservation. These assets play a crucial role in enabling a fast, coordinated, and effective recovery process after a disaster. The framework’s practical utility and adaptability are demonstrated through its application in a case study conducted in Sanremo, Italy. By bridging conceptual, methodological, and practical gaps in disaster recovery, this thesis contributes a decision-support approach that can inform more efficient pre-disaster investment strategies, leading to faster and more effective post-disaster recovery management. Ultimately, it supports the development of more resilient and recoverable urban systems.