Identification of Optimal Routes in Urban Physical Vulnerable Textures for Emergency Evacuation in Saqez City

Abstract

One of the first crucial actions in crisis management that should be taken into account in high-vulnerability zones is the emergency evacuation of the populace. An ideal routing strategy is very helpful because quick action is required to evacuate high-risk areas. This study aims to identify the best routing strategy in Saqez’s vulnerable physical region and identify strategies for evacuating the city’s residents in emergency situations. Based on the opinions held by urban planning experts, the important variables in defining the high physical vulnerability zones and the best route were chosen. The Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) methodology was utilised to initially select the most vulnerable areas. Using the Network Analysis Method, the best paths for emergency population evacuation to safe zones and relief efforts were identified during the second stage (NAM). The findings demonstrated that zones 1, 6, 18, 19, 16, and 17, which are situated in the center, north-eastern, and south-western regions of Saqez, have the highest physical vulnerability and are unsafe during unexpected occurrences given the rating of the SAW technique. For access to fire stations, medical facilities, hospitals, and parks in Lines 1 and 2, the best routes were identified while taking into account the breadth and dist ance from incompatible uses and rivers. In terms of accessibility, path breadth, relief duration, and speed, it can be said that the major routes in Line 1 are the best choices for speedy relief.