atlas of urban vulnerability in spain: methodology and contents

DOMAIN 4: URBAN VULNERABILITY SYNTHETIC INDEXES (MULTIPLE
CRITERIA CLASSIFICATION)
Multiple Criteria classification offers synthetic Indexes of Vulnerability composing
different simple vulnerability indicators, which in our case are 20 +1, grouped into four
thematic categories. Multiple Criteria classification is an alternative method to
traditional synthetic Indexes obtained by the definition of scalar type functions that
combine the various indicators of vulnerability by assigning a proportional weight to
each one of the indicators 4 .
The existence in the Atlas of 4 thematic categories of vulnerability indicators, offers the
possibility to organise 4 thematic classifications for the partial subsets of criteria
(Sociodemographic criteria Classification, Socioeconomic criteria Classification,
Housing criteria Classification and Subjective perception criteria Classification) and a
Global criteria Classification, encompassing the 20 indicators of vulnerability
considered.
ISVU-SD, Sociodemographic criteria Classification, includes the set of the 5
sociodemographic indicators: (1) Percentage of elderly people aged 75 or more,
(2) Percentage of households with only one person aged 64 or more, (3)
Percentage of households with only one adult (single-parent) and a one or more
persons under 18 years old, (4) Percentage of foreign population, and (5)
Percentage of foreign child population.
ISVU-SE, Socioeconomic criteria Classification, includes a set of 5
socioeconomic indicators: (6) Percentage of unemployed population. (Basic
Indicator of Urban Vulnerability), (7) Percentage of unemployed young
population, (8) Percentage of contingent workers, (9) Percentage of workers
without qualification, and (10) Percentage of illiterate (or without basic
education) population. (Basic Indicator of Urban Vulnerability).
ISVU-R, Housing criteria Classification, includes the set of the 5 residential
indicators: (11) Percentage of dwellings with less than 30 m² of effective living
area, (12) Average effective living area by inhabitant (m²), (13) Percentage of
population in dwellings without toilet or WC. (Basic Indicator of Urban
Vulnerability), (14) Percentage of dwellings in ruined or deficient buildings, and
(15) Percentage of dwellings in buildings built before 1951.
ISVUN-S, Subjective perception criteria Classification, includes the set of the 5
subjective indicators: (16) Percentage of population with external noises
problems, (17) Percentage of population with air pollution problems in the
neighbourhood, (18) Percentage of population with bad transport
/communication infrastructures problem, (19) Percentage of population with lack
of green open spaces problem, and (20) Percentage of population with
delinquency problems in the neighbourhood.
4 The problem with this type of functions is precisely the subjectivity that exists in the
assignment of "proportional weights" to each indicator. Multiple Criteria classification allows to
overcome this problem.
ATLAS OF URBAN VULNERABILITY IN SPAIN.
METHODOLOGY AND CONTENTS. PAG. 27