Assessing UXO ‐Related Hazards: Exposure and Vulnerability Analysis of Former Conflict‐Affected Areas in NE Italy

ABSTRACT Bomb risk assessment is considered a crucial topic, necessary for both urban planning and the construction industry to proceed with urban growth and commercial/industrial development. To quantitatively assess a risk, it is not enough to know the danger, but it is also necessary to estimate the exposure: the assets (e.g., infrastructure, population) of a certain area that may be affected by an event, and their vulnerability. Bomb risk, hereafter referred to as unexploded ordnance (UXO), has been examined from numerous perspectives including technical, geophysical, and military perspectives. Various analyses have specifically studied UXO‐related hazards and the effects caused by their blast area. In the context of bomb risk, however, the analysis of exposure and vulnerability factors from a GIS point of view seems to be a field of study yet to be fully explored. The main objective is the creation of an exposure and vulnerability assessment methodology tailored to UXO in a GIS context. The methodology includes the application of a weighted linear combination (WLC) model as a Multi‐Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach to incorporate different factors such as military target features, land use, population density, and infrastructure services together. The goal of the modeling approach has been demonstrated in three case studies located in the Veneto Region (northern Italy) that were deeply involved in the dynamics of World War I and World War II, and still represent territories characterized by high bomb risk. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of an MCDA approach for assessing Exposure and Vulnerability, provided it is supported by a structured data standardization process and a transparent methodology for weight assignment.