Abstract:

This research, which deals with the social and economic vulnerability of the districts of Tusba, İpekyolu and Edremit, which form the city center of Van, to earthquake hazards, is based on data obtained from local and national sources. There are many studies showing that Van province, which has been exposed to many earthquakes in the past and suffered great losses in these earthquakes, will be exposed to similar destructive earthquakes in the future. The city, which is established in a region where seismic activity is intense, should be ready for possible earthquakes at any time. Within the scope of the research, the variables affecting the vulnerability of the city were determined around expert opinions. Data on these variables were obtained from local and national sources. Then, the data in question was digitized and transferred to the GIS/GIS program and the vulnerability maps and tables of the city center were created. The research, which reveals the social and economic characteristics of the population residing in 37 neighborhoods that make up the city center, reveals the vulnerable aspects of the city through the scale it developed. Unlike similar studies, the study, which shows the distribution of the vulnerable elements to the city geography, explains the extent to which the city center is vulnerable. The findings show that the city is vulnerable due to its low education characteristics, fragile population groups and poor segments. Especially illiterate population groups negatively affect the level of awareness about disaster avoidance. Similarly, the crowded household population and the density of unemployed and unqualified women increase the vulnerability of the city. The precarious elderly population and the dense population of children increase the social fragility of the city. On the other hand, it has been observed that the city is fragile with its economic features. 26% (123,087) of the population receives various forms of assistance from foundations. Again, based on the foundation data, it was observed that 44,360 households were in the economically very weak, weak or normal category. In the city of Van, which lags behind Turkey in terms of income characteristics, especially 8,273 very weak or weak households experience disaster conditions without disaster. Finally, in the analyzes made on many different indicators, it was determined that the city center of Van was socially and economically fragile. The social and economic vulnerability of the city center is increasing from the central neighborhoods to the surrounding neighborhoods.

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