Quantifying human vulnerability to air degradation hazards in Madrid: a geotechnologies-based study
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Abstract
The human vulnerability concept is becoming very fruitful to uncover social latent difficulties and to inspire proactive actions according to a more comprehensive spatial development. Framed on this interdisciplinary field, this study intends: a) to identify aspects and indicators to measure socio-environmental vulnerability, specifically regarding to air degradation; and b) to build measures of it, usable for Spain, and considering the city of Madrid as case study. To these objectives, a set of facets and indicators have been selected and gauged, using the Delphi technique. After exploring the relations among such indicators with principal component analysis, a weighted mean has been adopted to obtain, firstly, a relative vulnerability index, and then an absolute vulnerability estimation for the city neighbourhoods. They uncover noteworthy intra-urban differences. Data handling and spatial analysis, as well as geovisualization of results, have been effectively supported by a geographical information system. The findings deliver better knowledge to implement policies for protecting people living in the most vulnerable areas of the city.