A CARTIS-based method for the rapid seismic vulnerability assessment of minor Italian historical centres

In this paper, a novel predictive model for the seismic vulnerability assessment of old Italian minor historical centres is presented. The proposed methodology is based on the use of eight seismic parameters, which can be easily extracted from the CARTIS form, a new tool for collecting building inventories at the regional scale, promoted by the Italian Civil Protection. The proposed method takes inspiration from a 14 parameters-based empirical method calibrated by the authors after the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake and validated also on the base of the damage scenarios of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake. However, with respect to the original method, the applied procedure is properly modified in order to provide the same results even if the type amd the number of input information is different. In the first part of the paper, the CARTIS form is presented. Then the proposed methodology is shown and the eight seismic parameters used for its application are discussed. Finally, in order to show the feasibility of the method, it is applied to the case study of Grottazzolina, a small town located in the administrative region of Marche, in Italy, for which fragility curves are provided as a useful tool for predicting the damage scenarios that could potentially occur under different earthquake intensities. The obtained results represent a useful information to address decision-makers’ actions for the seismic risk mitigation of the studied urban centre.