Relevant city context

This project is relevant for all towns and cities working on crisis response issues and resilience against natural disasters. For Rome, resilience study is based on the two projects: SMR and 100 Resilient Cities. Both initiatives are aimed at developing an Urban Resilience Strategy, and this project is a direct outcome of the first results of SMR and 100RC.

Goals: Provide decision support in crisis situations for Municipal Civil Protection Service

The project was created through the collaboration between ENEA (National Agency for New Technologies and Sustainable Development) and the Municipal Civil Protection Service. It is a free collaboration agreement to provide city-based technologies, using a risk-based Decision Support System (DSS) and analyzing crisis scenarios resulting from natural events. The system is equipped with real-time and simulation data analysis capabilities, allowing the evaluation of simulated crisis.

As part the development of the urban resilience strategy, Systems and Infrastructures Resilience was identified as a priority thematic area, in line with the experience of many partner cities. It was therefore decided to utilize ENEA's experience for risk assessment and mitigation in the infrastructure sector, also considering the propagation of vulnerabilities to the socio-economic fabric of the city. The parties have set the objective of developing a methodology for the implementation of a DSS for risk analysis and scenario definition of expected damage from natural events on territorial resources and critical infrastructures in the urban area of Rome. The system will have both an operational utilization and a simulation function, for the ex-ante analysis of potential crisis scenarios to plan emergency plans.

Collaboration between stakeholders

The format adopted for the project is that of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), where parties agree to collaborate following different commitments. For example, the Civil Protection Service should provide ENEA with useful databases to facilitate development of methodologies for risk analysis and expected damage coming from adverse natural events. Also, the Civil Protection service will perform simulation tests to validate the system.

ENEA are committed to develop appropriate algorithms capable of producing, through a specific GIS-based application, risk and damage scenarios in the city. They are also expected to identify correlations between the historical data acquired by Civil Protection Service and the natural risk scenario, to highlight vulnerabilities of infrastructures and assets at any given risk condition. ENEA will further test and widen the use of the early warning system already developed by ENEA for infrastructures (project Resilience Enhancement of Metropolitan Areas).

The City of Rome is interested in collaborating with ENEA to further develop and utilize the DSS as a tool to plan resilience improvement actions. Among the sectors where Rome has assessed the absolute need for priority intervention are critical infrastructures and primary services for the citizens. This need is in relation to, for example, extreme weather events along with a complex territorial situation of the metropolitan area.

Outcomes

Expected outcomes include Scenario Analysis (simulation of effects – i.e. damage pattern, involved population; effects on normal functioning of the city); Nowcasting service (short and very short weather forecast, with a state-of-the-art dispatchment service). The assessment of the ENEA - Civil Protection cooperation will allow new actions to improve the city's resistance indices to boost the well-being and security of citizens.

Resources

Since the project is based on a cooperation agreement, it does not imply any financial commitment by the parties.

Link (in Italian): http://www.meteoweb.eu/2016/02/eventi-naturali-accordo-enea-protezione-civile-di-roma-capitale-per-il-controllo-delle-infrastrutture-critiche/636443/

Relevant city context

The project is of main interest to cities affected by coastal and river flooding. Donostia / San Sebastian is a medium size city of 186.377 inhabitants and a coastal and riverside city, suffering from periodic flooding. During such flooding’s urban activity has been severely affected due to the geographical conditions and existing infrastructures.

Goal: ensure the delivery of critical services in the city under stress and shock

For this particular case, this is achieved by decreasing risks connected to flooding.

After the severe damage caused by the 2011 floods, recovery works were carried out in concurrence with a new Flood Prevention Plan for the Urumea River. The plan includes demolishing and/or relocation of dwellings and other infrastructures that are at risk or increase risks associated with flooding, and the recovery and clearing out of waterways and riversides.

The plan includes 18 actions to be implemented from 2013 to 2021. Actions already completed include: Works in the Añarbe Reservoir on a Storm Tank equipped with a pumping device to ensure redundancy of the sewerage system in the event of river level raisings, the grooving of part of the River and the widening of its channel as it passes through Martutene, up to 50 meters. Bridges substitution, in order to increase security thresholds (Pilar Pedestrian Bridge and Martutene Bridge). The expropriation of land needed to expand the river bed (including demolition of buildings and relocation of industrial and residential activity in other areas of the city), as well as actions on other bridges (works on Aztiñene and Ergobia bridges, the replacement of the ETS Bridge and the demolition of the Aguas del Añarbe collector Bridge in Loiola).

Outcomes 

Donostia / San Sebastián has significantly improved its level of resilience against river flood risks. At the same time, the river channeling works, bridge renewal and the River Park project, together with the urban projects in Txomin or Loiola, the works in Polygon 27 industrial area in Martutene and the Urumea Smart City Plan contribute to the economic, urban and environmental transformation this area of the city.

Cooperation among stakeholders

The flood prevention plan is part of the interinstitutional agreement between the Basque Government, through the Basque Water Agency-URA (Department of Environment and Territorial Planning) and the municipalities of Donostia / San Sebastián, Hernani and Astigarraga (affected by flood River Urumea). The Basque Government finances the bulk of the interventions and the municipalities oversee local planning modifications and necessary land availability.

A Coordination and monitoring Committee is established formed by the Basque Government (Regional Government), URA, Diputación de Gipuzkoa (Provincial Government), municipal governments of Donostia/San Sebastián, Astigarraga and Hernani, Aguas del Añarbe, Coast Department (National Government) and neighbourhood associations.

Resources

The cost of structural measures is expected to exceed €60 million.

Other

See URA web page 

See Donostia city web page 

More information

Contact with Office of Strategy of DSS. Kepa Korta (estrategia@donostiafutura.net ).