Development of a methodology for making indirect estimates of the built physical environment

A conceptual framework was developed for the processes by which elements of the built physical environment of infrastructure, on-site improvements, and buildings accumulate over time. The basic empirical data are the surviving elements at the present time. Therefore, a complete an inventory as possible was made for one baseline year of one isolated metropolitan area, moderate in size so as to be typical but not so large as to be unmanageable, contained in a single county which has a highly developed city and county computerized data system, Few metropolitan areas met all these criteria, and the one selected was Wichita-Sedgwick County, Kansas. The purpose for making the inventory was to develop short-cut methods for making indirect estimates of the built physical environment for use in risk analysis, reduction of vulnerability, determination of damage rates, and planning relief and recovery with respect to earthquakes and other natural disasters.(AU)

Indirect methods for estimating elements of the built physical environment for risk and damage assessment and relief, recovery, and reconstruction planning

This paper reports results of studies of develop indirect methods for estimating existing elements of the built physical environment, since need inventories do not exist and are expensive and time consuming to make. Applications are presented and estimates for a variety of situations shown. With estimates of the elements a risk in an earthquake or other natural disaster, it will be possible to apply inventories of damage to determine damage rates, develop better vulnerability assessments, and plan relief, recovery, and reconstruction more quickly and efficiently (AU)