Measuring Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Wenfang Chen; Susan L. Cutter; Christopher T. Emrich; Peijun Shi

doi:10.1007/s13753-013-0018-6

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Article Navigation > International Journal of Disaster Risk Science > 2013 > 4(4): 169-181

Wenfang Chen, Susan L. Cutter, Christopher T. Emrich, Peijun Shi. Measuring Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2013, 4(4): 169-181. doi: 10.1007/s13753-013-0018-6

Citation:

Wenfang Chen, Susan L. Cutter, Christopher T. Emrich, Peijun Shi. Measuring Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2013, 4(4): 169-181. doi: 10.1007/s13753-013-0018-6

Citation:

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Measuring Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China

doi: 10.1007/s13753-013-0018-6

1 State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;
2 Hazard and Vulnerability Research Institute, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA;
3 Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Education of China, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Funds:

This research was supported jointly by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (973 program) (Grant No. 2012CB955404), the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41321001).

Available Online: 2021-04-26

Abstract

Abstract

Social vulnerability emphasizes the different burdens of disaster losses within and between places. Although China continuously experiences devastating natural disasters, there is a paucity of research specifically addressing the multidimensional nature of social vulnerability. This article presents an initial study on the social vulnerability of the Yangtze River Delta region in China. The goal is to replicate and test the applicability of the place-based Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI^®) developed for the United States in a Chinese cultural context. Twenty-nine variables adapted from SoVI^® were collected for each of the 134 analysis units in the study area. Using principal components analysis, six factors were identified from the variable set: employment and poverty, education, poor housing quality, minorities, family size, and housing size—factors similar to those identified for the United States. Factor scores were summed to get the final SoVI^® scores and the most and least vulnerable study units were identified and mapped. The highest social vulnerability is concentrated in the southern portions of the study area— Jingning, Suichang, Yunhe, Lanxi, Pan'an, and Shengsi. The least socially vulnerable areas are concentrated southwest, west, and northwest of Shanghai. Limitations of replication are discussed along with policy-relevant suggestions for vulnerability reduction and risk mitigation in China.
- China,
- natural hazards,
- social vulnerability index,
- Yangtze River Delta

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References(46)

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