Among the many kinds of natural hazards, earthquake is one of the rare events that human science has not yet been able to control or even predict. Physical structure conditions of human settlements play an important role in vulnerability to this natural disaster. The purpose of this article is to investigate natural and physical characteristics of Kuhdasht in terms of earthquake vulnerability. The city with a population of 90,000 and an area of about 540 ha, locates in the west of Lorestan province, Iran. The data are provided from GIS file of 2016 Iranian Public Census of Population and Housing, GIS files of Kuhdasht land use and GIS files of Iran faults and lithology.  A few layers have been added to these files through observation. It is used Arc-Map 10-8 to combine layers and produce maps. Then we used Excel software to do statistical analysis on data tables. Findings showed that the site of study area locates in a middle risk zone of earthquakes, but its close distance to active faults can be a warning for occurring destructive earthquakes. High proportion of non-resistant buildings, high density of buildings in some parts of the city and the presence of two gas stations in the middle of residential buildings, are the most important components of Kuhdasht vulnerability. In contrast, plenty of open spaces, high proportion of non-apartment houses, low population density and permeability of passages are important strengths in this regard. The central part of the city from which the city originated, is more vulnerable than the other parts. Due to the existence of the trade centers here, it is necessary to pay more attention to in future plans.

Keywords: Earth quake, Vulnerability, Physical structure, Kuhdasht.

     

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