Integrating Socioeconomic Vulnerability Into Resilient Infrastructure Planning
Transportation networks are a vital lifeline essential to the functionality of modern society. A newly published research report offers a new methodology for assessing transportation network vulnerability and resilience, with a particular focus on incorporating social vulnerability into the analysis.
Why? Vulnerable populations—such as people with low income, minorities, or seniors—could suffer higher levels of adverse impacts from disruptions. Road closures and other transportation network interruptions due to earthquakes, floods or other disasters may disproportionately affect these groups of people.
The research project, "Integrate Socioeconomic Vulnerability for Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Planning," by Liming Wang, John MacArthur, and Yu Xiao of Portland State University (PSU), addresses a critical gap by integrating socioeconomic vulnerability indicators into the evaluation of transportation infrastructure vulnerabilities.
The report demonstrates this novel methodology using the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area as a case study.
WHAT DOES THE METHODOLOGY OFFER?
The new methodology proposed by the research team combines spatial analysis, network modeling, and social vulnerability indices to identify critical links in the transportation system. It assesses the impact of potential disruptions on accessibility to essential services such as hospitals, emergency shelters, schools, and community centers.
The study considers multiple natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, and landslides, providing a comprehensive risk assessment. A key innovation of this project is using social vulnerability measures to show how different groups are affected, making sure that resilience planning is equitable.
The research reveals that some links (i.e. particular roads or bridges) while not as critical for the overall network, can have substantial localized impacts on specific communities, particularly those with high social vulnerability.
The method, then, is designed to answer three main questions:
- Which areas and links are the most susceptible to disruptions in the transportation system?
- Which links are the most critical to the function of the transportation system as a whole and to specific areas?
- Considering the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of people, which links are most impactful to socioeconomically vulnerable populations in a disaster?
By answering these three questions, policymakers and transportation planners can better prioritize infrastructure investments. They can use this method to to retrofit, repair, and reconstruct the most crucial links first, enhancing overall network resilience for everyone.
The methodology developed can be used for scenario planning, allowing stakeholders to evaluate different mitigation strategies and their potential impacts on network resilience and social equity.
While the study focuses on the Portland area, the approach is designed to be adaptable to other urban areas, contributing to broader efforts in transportation resilience planning. The research also identifies limitations and areas for future investigation, including the need to consider multi-modal transportation, incorporate business vulnerability, and address data uncertainties.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Photo by pikappa/iStock
The National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) is one of seven U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. NITC is a program of the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. This PSU-led research partnership also includes the Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, University of Oregon, University of Texas at Arlington and University of Utah. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer. To get updates about what's going on at TREC, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us at the links below.
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