PSI - Issue 78

Caterina Balletti et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1823–1830

1824

1. Introduction Historic city centres across Italy represent an invaluable cultural and architectural heritage. However, their intrinsic characteristics - such as unreinforced masonry constructions, deterioration due to aging, and irregular configurations - make them particularly susceptible to seismic events, with significant impacts on the economy and tourism. Effectively addressing this vulnerability is paramount for national and regional risk reduction strategies. Managing seismic risk at the urban scale requires methodologies that are both precise and scalable. Traditional analytical approaches often are impractical for extensive urban environments due to their computational demand, highlighting the need for integrated, multidisciplinary approaches. The Italian GENESIS project (Spacone et al., 2025) aims to take a significant step in this direction, specifically targeting the enhancement and preservation of Southern Italy's historic centres. A core aspect of the project is represented by the development of multi-scale seismic risk assessment methodologies that are integrated within a unitary digital information system platform for risk assessment and risk management. Within this framework, this study presents the initial outcomes of an interpretative model for the integrated management of seismic risk in historic city centres. The proposed approach emphasizes the crucial role of interdisciplinarity, merging structural engineering, geomatics, conservation strategies, and urban planning. The model leverages advanced geomatics techniques, including drone-based photogrammetry and 3D modelling, to enhance data accuracy and spatial representation. These detailed insights are then integrated with structural vulnerability assessment models and specific analyses of the street network, which are crucial for effective emergency planning. All collected data and analytical results are unified within a comprehensive GIS environment. This integrated framework serves as an operative tool, designed to empower stakeholders, decision-makers, and urban planners in making informed decisions regarding seismic risk management and evacuation planning during emergency phases. The applicability and the effectiveness of this interdisciplinary and integrated model are demonstrated through its implementation in the The methodology for constructing an interpretive model involves several key steps. These include a geometrical survey conducted at various scales (city centre, aggregate, and individual building) using diverse instruments characterized by different levels of precision. Additionally, street and path mapping serve dual purposes: identifying specific vulnerabilities (as detailed in the following section) and promoting the touristic valorisation of the area (e.g., suggesting optimal routes for tourists, or simply the fastest or most scenic paths). Furthermore, vulnerability elements mapping aims to identify potentially vulnerable features in case of seismic event, or those that could impede escape routes, such as narrow streets, arches, projecting elements, or steps, based on shared conceptual frameworks. The outcome of this mapping is an interrogable and interoperable GIS database. This comprehensive dataset then forms the basis for analysing and assessing the vulnerability of the built environment and road infrastructure. This methodology will be described in the following sections with reference to its application in a historic centre, historic centre of Fiumefreddo Bruzio (CS). 2. The integrated interpretative model This work shows the definition of an integrated interpretative model, applying it to the case of Fiumefreddo Bruzio, a historic centre located in Calabria, southern Italy, as part of the broader GENESIS project, Spacone et al. (2025). Masonry buildings of medium-low quality, specifically rubble stone masonry, predominantly characterize the urban fabric. The population permanently residing in the historic centre consists of only a few hundred people, but during the summer season, the number of inhabitants increases to several thousand. This seasonal increase can lead to significant challenges in emergency management in the event of adverse natural hazards. The city centre is located at the top of a small hill with relatively limited access as it is visible from Fig. 1 that shows a picture of the historic centre and its main road access. It is worth mentioning the Castle, located in the southern part of Fiumefreddo Bruzio, which is in part collapsed and that contained several paintings of the local artist Salvatore Fiume, the majority of which unfortunately are not preserved nowadays. which serves as an emblematic case study. 3. The Fiumefreddo Bruzio case study