Vulnerability Zoning of Tehran in Natural Disasters with respect of Population Groups

Background and Objective: Population groups are not the same in terms of vulnerabilities in respect of natural hazards occurrence, and women, children and the elderly persons, are more vulnerable than other populations. Gender can also affect the vulnerabilities so that experiences from past disasters have shown that women and girls are more vulnerable to men and boys. On the other hand, women and girls, if they are empowered, can enhance community capacity in the face of natural disasters. The marital status of individuals such as single, married, widowed and divorced also affects the degree of vulnerability of individuals. Therefore, studying the status of vulnerable populations can be crucial in proper planning to prevent and reduce disaster risks and, today, the gender perspective is one of the smartest approaches to manage and reduce disaster risks. The objective of this paper is vulnerability zoning of Tehran in natural disasters with population groups perspective. It considers gender disaggregated data on vulnerable populations including children (girls and boys), women and men (considering their marital status), and elderly persons (elderly women and men). Method: In this paper, Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to identify and prioritize the vulnerable areas of the city. The proposed method includes constructing a hierarchical structure of criteria and sub-criteria, preparing vulnerability maps based on each sub-criterion, generating a binary comparison matrix, calculating the significance coefficient of criteria and sub-criteria, calculating the consistency ratio and calculating each area vulnerability. Thus, priority urban areas are identified for empowerment and capacity building. Findings: Tehran is a vulnerable city in respect of natural hazards occurrence, and the status of population groups have increased its vulnerability. In this paper, according to the gender disaggregated data on vulnerable population groups in the 22 districts of Tehran, vulnerable districts were identified and prioritized. Conclusion: Based on the findings, districts 4, 5, 15, and 20 are priority areas that need to be empowered vulnerable populations.