Explaining the Effective Measures in Decreasing the Vulnerability of Urban Area against Earthquake Using AHP Model (Case study: Tehran, a Metropolis)

Earthquake is one of the natural disasters. If it happens, it creates in compensable troubles and losses in the human environment. Tehran, as a metropolis, is always apt to earthquake due to lying on the belt of Alps- Himalaya which is prone to earthquake and the existence of fault in its north and south area. The specialists and authorities in the field have always presented ideas and measures to reduce the probable losses. In the he present article, attempt has been made to recognize the measures and analyze to see to what extent they are practical. The idea and impractical measures do not meet the needs of Tehran with the undeniable characteristics such as being populated, having compacted dwelling texture, lacking per head and standard observance. The research methods used are descriptive–analytical and statistical. AHP model and expert choice 2000 software have been used to evaluate the measures. The result showed that material resistance and the width of lattice work, among the reducing measures of vulnerability, are the most important ones respectively. The regions 8, 22, and 1 have possessed a better status respectively regarding the investigated measures related to the extent of vulnerability.

KEYWORDS: earthquake, AHP model, Tehran as a metropolis, vulnerability.