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Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability
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Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 9951

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco De Pascale

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Culture and Society, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: disaster studies; geography of perception; geography of risk
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Leonardo Mercatanti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Culture and Society, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: cultural geography; geography of risk; geopolitics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the 1980s, the French School of Geography introduced a new approach known as the “geography of risk”. Focusing on the impact and responsibility of human factors, this theory explores social, institutional, and economic dimensions of risk and how they intersect with the effects of extreme natural events that culminate in disasters. Consequently, the risks associated with natural hazards are frequently studied from the perspective of physical geography, with emphasis on the material aspects of natural phenomena.  Thereby, collaborations between physical and human geography have become primary in dealing with the issue of risk.  This “mixed-method” geographical analysis, in fact, allows us to consider risk as a complex phenomenon within territorial ecosystems, involving multi-scalar and multi-dimensional interactions between environments, flora, fauna, and human beings. In the 1990s, studies related to the geography of risk became integrated with other disciplines, such as sociology and psychology, deepening the analysis of territorial actors, as well as cultural and public perceptions and representations of risk.

Risk, in recent years, has become a fully fledged geographical object–subject. For instance, physical geography considers with the risks associated with extreme natural events; health geography studies epidemiological and health risks; urban geography explores social risks; and political geography, in addition to other foci in cultural and historical geography, considers risk and conflicts in terms of time and the critical spatialities encompassing human and environmental threats. Progressively, within the broad umbrella of geography, the barriers that bar cooperation with the other social sciences, and the “hard sciences” and engineering, have become depleted.

According to the definition attributed by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), disasters result when a natural or human-induced hazard adversely impacts human settlements that lack disaster preparedness, and whose populations are vulnerable as a result of poverty, exclusion, or other social disadvantages. The consequences of disasters linked to natural hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions, could, in fact, be reduced through science, technology, and effective communication by the implementation of information and educational campaigns aimed at reducing social, economic, institutional, and environmental vulnerability.

Reducing social vulnerability can be completed by implementing the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as signed by the governments of 193 UN member countries. This agenda considers the social issues integral to development. These include the fight against poverty, the elimination of hunger, the reduction of inequalities, quality education globally, achieving greater social justice and peace, and gender equality, in addition to the redesign of cities and communities to make them more sustainable.

We invite papers that discuss holistic approaches that integrate methods of human, cultural, and physical geography to explore concepts of risk and sustainability in the context of the complex relationship between disasters and the vagaries of the human condition.

This Special Issue aims to present both theoretical contributions and case studies. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Dialogue on issues between physical and human geography;
  • Geography of risk;
  • Vulnerability dimension reduction;
  • Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals to reduce disasters on a global or local scale;
  • Environmental and social justice in new cities;
  • Disasters: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery;
  • Risk communication, education, and social perception;
  • Historical memory and the representation of disasters;
  • Disasters and cultural heritage;
  • Adaptive capacity and urban resilience;
  • GIS, neogeography, and new technologies for investigations of natural hazards and climate change;
  •  Disaster governance and community-based approaches.

Dr. Francesco De Pascale
Dr. Leonardo Mercatanti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • climate change
  • disasters
  • human geography
  • geography of risk
  • natural hazards
  • physical geography
  • social perception
  • sustainability
  • vulnerability

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

40 pages, 17848 KiB  
Article
Rewinding the Tape: Documentary Heritage to (Re)discover “Lost” Natural Hazards—Evidence and Inferences from Southern Italy
by Fabrizio Terenzio Gizzi, Vittorio Bovolin, Paolo Villani, Maria Rosaria Potenza, Simona Voria and Antonio Minervino Amodio
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2789; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072789 - 27 Mar 2024
Viewed by 975
Abstract
The knowledge of natural hazards that occurred in the past is essential for implementing forecasting and prevention actions, for managing risk, and identifying proper land use. Floods do not escape this rule. This article sheds light on an unknown intense rainfall period, which [...] Read more.
The knowledge of natural hazards that occurred in the past is essential for implementing forecasting and prevention actions, for managing risk, and identifying proper land use. Floods do not escape this rule. This article sheds light on an unknown intense rainfall period, which affected the Campania region and the territory of the current Molise region (Southern Italy) on October–November 1961. The period culminated in floods, particularly involving the town of Benevento (Campania region), which had been affected by several inundations over centuries. The research made an extensive use of unpublished archival sources. The documents allowed us to both outline the pluviometric and hydrological picture of the period and catalogue seventeen physical and environmental effects suffered by over two hundred municipalities. Furthermore, we also disclosed the economic consequences in the wide territory involved. Special attention was paid to Benevento, for which we also drew up the scenario map related to the 19 October flood. For this town, historical data were effective for developing and testing the hydraulic model of the Sabato and Calore Rivers, which overflowed at the site. In this regard, we made some considerations on the current flood risk of the town. From a methodological point of view, we stress the importance of a historical approach in close relationship to other expertise for the knowledge of natural hazards, tracing also some future perspectives. The research complies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Goal 11 concerned with making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The research findings will be useful for scholars and practitioners for both improving flood hazard models and arranging archival research path. Finally, local authorities in charge of risk mitigation can also benefit from the research results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 8701 KiB  
Article
Community-Based Approaches to Debris Flow Hazard Analysis in the Sibillini Mountain Range (Central Apennines, Italy)
by Piero Farabollini and Fabrizio Bendia
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031100 - 27 Jan 2024
Viewed by 748
Abstract
Herein, we propose new methods for interpreting the debris flow phenomena affecting the Sibillini Mountains (central Apennines, Italy), based on the main characteristics and mechanisms of these hazards and their associated risk, as studied by applying advanced GIS tools to a geodatabase including [...] Read more.
Herein, we propose new methods for interpreting the debris flow phenomena affecting the Sibillini Mountains (central Apennines, Italy), based on the main characteristics and mechanisms of these hazards and their associated risk, as studied by applying advanced GIS tools to a geodatabase including the morphometric parameters of many surveyed debris flows as well as topographic and climatic information. The study area is characterized by mainly calcareous lithologies belonging to the Umbria–Marche Succession, which are frequently covered by Quaternary continental deposits. Slopes and deep transversal valleys are strongly influenced by Pliocene–Quaternary tectonics. Our main objectives were (a) to provide a comprehensive survey of the local morphologies and dynamics of debris flows and localize, catalog, sample and implement them in a geodatabase, as well as monitor them; (b) to forecast potential future debris flows in the study area based upon their evolutionary processes (e.g., dynamic evolution of debris flows, time of recurrence, removed volume of materials) and, in doing so, evaluate hazards and risks for human activities, as well as possibly apply this prediction method to other areas with similar geological and morpho-climatic characteristics; and (c) to share scientific information with society, with the goal of involving citizens in a new and sustainable method of territorial management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability)
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15 pages, 788 KiB  
Article
Geographical Education and Climate Change Perception in Secondary School: A Case Study in Southern Italy
by Francesco De Pascale
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3255; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043255 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1797
Abstract
This contribution proposes a study on how young people aged between 16 and 18 who live in Catanzaro, the capital of Calabria (southern Italy), perceive climate change. Through ethnographic interviews, based on the use of an open questionnaire and on participatory observation conducted [...] Read more.
This contribution proposes a study on how young people aged between 16 and 18 who live in Catanzaro, the capital of Calabria (southern Italy), perceive climate change. Through ethnographic interviews, based on the use of an open questionnaire and on participatory observation conducted in a secondary school, an attempt was made to reconstruct the degree of awareness of the students interviewed regarding the climate change underway, asking them to indicate which are the forms of knowledge involved and the possible causes of the phenomenon, as well as the critical issues and solutions currently available, both locally and globally, to limit any irreversible damage. The results show that students are aware of climate change and of the decisive human action in determining it, but show gaps in differentiating it from weather. Furthermore, they do not trust politics as regards mitigation and adaptation actions but are convinced that each individual can make his/her own contribution by changing consumption habits and lifestyles, reducing waste and focusing on greater respect for sustainability. Finally, greater awareness of climate change can also be acquired by enhancing the teaching of geography in schools and integrating climate change issues into courses, subjects or programs in the universities or educational institutes of developed and underdeveloped world institutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability)
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19 pages, 8074 KiB  
Article
Losing Cultural Heritage due to Anthropic Environmental Disasters: An Application of the DPSIR Spiral Framework
by Valentina Castronuovo
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 1978; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031978 - 20 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1739
Abstract
Cultural heritage often mirrors the evolution of the social and economic dynamics of territories. In Taranto, a city in Apulia in southern Italy, cultural heritage represents the synthesis of the profound environmental and economic crisis that has characterised the city over the last [...] Read more.
Cultural heritage often mirrors the evolution of the social and economic dynamics of territories. In Taranto, a city in Apulia in southern Italy, cultural heritage represents the synthesis of the profound environmental and economic crisis that has characterised the city over the last century. Its loss is the order of the day following repeated collapses and static instability. Probably, this is the result of the strong conditioning that large industrial groups and military institutions have been exercising over the city’s environment and economy since the end of the 19th century. This paper focuses on the analysis of aspects related to the management and enhancement of the cultural heritage in the area, in the broader scenario of territorial heritage management. Using the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) spiral logic scheme, the aim of the research is to highlight causal links between the impoverishment of Taranto’s cultural heritage and the management and socio-economic drivers present there. In this perspective, the study aims to contribute to the implementation of the scientific literature on the topic of the application of the spiral DPSIR model to the theme of built cultural heritage and not only to the management of the naturalistic factors of the territories. Furthermore, it aims to stimulate policy makers to initiate specific analyses of the risks threatening cultural heritage in order to implement protective measures before irreversible damage occurs. The results of the analysis promote the need for a subversion of the area’s development dynamics with a view to a ‘culture of sustainability’. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability)
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13 pages, 2713 KiB  
Article
Debris Flow Infrasound Recognition Method Based on Improved LeNet-5 Network
by Xiaopeng Leng, Liangyu Feng, Ou Ou, Xuelei Du, Dunlong Liu and Xin Tang
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15925; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315925 - 29 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1221
Abstract
To distinguish debris flow infrasound from other infrasound sources, previous works have used one-dimensional infrasound shapes and parameters. In this study, we converted infrasound signals into two-dimensional signal time–frequency graphs and created a time–frequency graph dataset containing five common kinds of infrasound. We [...] Read more.
To distinguish debris flow infrasound from other infrasound sources, previous works have used one-dimensional infrasound shapes and parameters. In this study, we converted infrasound signals into two-dimensional signal time–frequency graphs and created a time–frequency graph dataset containing five common kinds of infrasound. We used deep learning to distinguish debris flow infrasound from other infrasound and improved the deep learning model to enhance the accuracy of debris flow infrasound identification. By improving the LeNet-5 network, we obtained an infrasound signal recognition method for debris flows based on deep learning. After signal preprocessing and model training, this method was able to differentiate target infrasound from environmental infrasound, and a debris flow infrasound recognition accuracy of 84.1% was achieved. The method described in this paper can effectively recognize debris flow infrasound and distinguish it from other environmental infrasound. By such means, more accurate and more timely debris flow disaster warnings may be obtained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 9714 KiB  
Article
Application of Fuzzy Logic and Fractal Modeling Approach for Groundwater Potential Mapping in Semi-Arid Akka Basin, Southeast Morocco
by Fatima Zahra Echogdali, Said Boutaleb, Rosine Basseu Kpan, Mohammed Ouchchen, Amine Bendarma, Hasna El Ayady, Kamal Abdelrahman, Mohammed S. Fnais, Kochappi Sathyan Sajinkumar and Mohamed Abioui
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10205; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610205 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1987
Abstract
Groundwater potential delineation in the Akka basin, southwest Morocco, has been determined through the combination of geospatial techniques and geological data. The geometric average and expected value are two multi-criteria approaches used to integrate a set of factors–data for which the weights of [...] Read more.
Groundwater potential delineation in the Akka basin, southwest Morocco, has been determined through the combination of geospatial techniques and geological data. The geometric average and expected value are two multi-criteria approaches used to integrate a set of factors–data for which the weights of each factor are assigned using the fuzzy logic function, which transforms values of factors influencing groundwater presence in a range of [0, 1]. The efficiency factors used in this study are the lineament density, node density, drainage density, distance from rivers, distance from lineament, permeability, slope, topographic witness index, plan curvature, and profile curvature. Thereafter, the groundwater potential map was generated in a GIS environment. To assess and compare the efficiency of the two models, the well data existing in the basin were used to choose the most efficient model. For that reason, the prediction area (P–A) graph, the normalized density (Nd), and its weight (We) were applied to estimate the capacity of each model to predict the target area. The analysis shows that the expected value model (Nd = 1.86 and We = 0.62) is more efficient than the geometric average model (Nd = 0.96 and We = −0.04). The results of the expected value model can be used in the future planning and management of water resources in the Akka basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Geographies of Risk, Natural Hazards and Sustainability)
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