Evaluation of Ahar city's physical vulnerability against earthquake crisis

Along with explosive growth of cities and complication of inner-city processes, the number of crisis and urban complication increases and as a consequence vulnerability increases too. Considering that the man is in the center of the vulnerability and encounter with crisis, and also urban spaces contain most of the population, noticing these spaces is of urgent importance. In this respect, making policies to reduce vulnerability of urban spaces against natural disasters, considering their accidental nature and the necessity of adopting right decisions and development of human knowledge and technology, analysis of vulnerable areas in cities are essential to present a vivid picture of consequences of disasters. The analysis and planning is the most effective and perhaps the best choice of management and urban planners to counter natural disasters, especially earthquakes. Thus, considering vulnerability of Ahar city because of its geographical position, the aim of the present study is to investigate and evaluate vulnerability of Ahar urban spaces in facing earthquake crisis. The study is applied and descriptive-analytic method was used. To measure the vulnerability of urban spaces against earthquake, 15 scales were used in three constructive, planning, and natural types. Having measured scale’s weight using multivariate analysis, the study tried to use AHP model . The results of the study showed that 30% of urban spaces made in Ahar city to counter earthquake, are increasingly vulnerable to it and they lack structural framework to manage earthquake crisis