Place vulnerability assessment based on the HOP model in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

With the acceleration of urbanization, the unknown risks faced by cities and regions are also increasing, and their vulnerability is exposed, which has become a major problem hindering sustainable development. Through the study of disaster risk assessment, we can find out regional disaster-causing factors and social vulnerability factors, so as to provide a basis for targeted response to the impact of natural disasters. Based on the HOP model put forward by Susan L. Cutter, this study studied the Place Vulnerability = Hazards Exposure Level × Social Vulnerability Index as the main calculation formula. The natural disaster frequency and socio-economic structure index of 83 sample cities in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze river in 2016 were calculated by combing historical literature. SPSS software was used to analyze the principal component of the socio-economic data of the sample city. Through the calculation of the total variance contribution rate and dimensionality reduction processing, the selected 14 index factors were extracted and processed into 5 principal component factors. According to the index weight coefficient, the comprehensive score of the city’s social vulnerability was calculated. As a result, with the combination of hazards exposure level score and Social Vulnerability Index score, the Place Vulnerability scores in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze river were obtained and analyzed with clustering. Finally, the distribution characteristics of regional natural disasters and socio-economic structures were described.