MULTI-HAZARD SCENARIOS: Participatory processes for more resilient communities and territories

The thesis aims to understand how participatory urban planning can foster the transformative resilience of territories and communities in response to natural disaster risks. This research is based on the premise that the integrated use of participatory planning tools and decision-making support systems, when capable of mediating dialogue between technical knowledge and citizen science, represents a promising strategy for strengthening territorial resilience and positively contributing to the enhancement of social capital. In this context, the goal is to promote greater preparedness of the actors involved through knowledge sharing and shared responsibility across all phases of the disaster management cycle. The innovation of this research lies in the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach that integrates citizen science with design principles, geospatial sciences, geographic information technologies (Geodesign), and the assessment of natural risks and specific vulnerabilities — physical, social, and environmental — in urban projects and policies. Based on this integration, a tool was developed to enable effective, rapid, and democratic collaboration among the various stakeholders involved in strategic planning processes. The expected outcome is that the tool will guide collaborative territorial and urban projects toward the development of scenarios focused on resilience to natural disasters and climate change, grounded in informed and inclusive decision-making. Additionally, it is expected to strengthen social capital by fostering the creation or reconnection of community networks in the co-construction of norms, values, and spatial practices that reflect the diversity of ideas, social conditions, and beliefs within a given society, thereby enhancing mutual trust among citizens and with public institutions. The tool was applied to the case study of Camerino, addressing its social, environmental, and economic vulnerabilities while recognizing crises as opportunities for transformation, guiding long-term development scenarios from a more resilient perspective. The results highlighted the development of context-sensitive proposals aligned with disaster resilience objectives, as well as a more solid and democratic integration between local knowledge and technical planning approaches, facilitated by the use of the tool. An increase in community engagement was also observed, with new proposals for participatory projects based on Geodesign emerging from the workshop participants. However, a key limitation of the study is that, despite the professional diversity of participants, it remained confined to the university environment and involved mostly individuals affiliated with the institution. Further development of the research requires a reconfiguration of participant selection, including representatives from different sectors of the community, the involvement of public administration, and a balanced representation in terms of age, gender, social class, and educational level.