The historic city in the climate change. Mives methodology approach

A large number of historic structures are over risks in cities due to weather patterns and global climate change: sea-level rise, increasing frequency of storms and other extreme precipitation events. Conservation of urban areas of historic value implies the management of these changes, by ensuring the protection of social values as well as the authenticity and integrity of heritage sites. Disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change should be seen as components of conservation, as they all share the objective of addressing the challenges of sustainable urban development. This research presents a methodological approach (MIVES-Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment) for vulnerability and risk assessment, supported by an information strategy and a multi-scale urban model, in order to provide decision-making with objective and justified prioritization. A decision tree is built as a basis for future developments in specific urban case studies, supplying in present work some partial discussion by delivering a balanced solution in terms of accurate results and data requirements, by using a categorization method for urban modelling. The information is organized and structured in hierarchical levels, permitting the comparison of building vulnerabilities and risks through the use of a unique index, thus facilitating the decision-making that is needed for the prioritization of efficient interventions.