Assessing Building Vulnerability to Landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China

Landslides are among the most destructive natural hazards, causing significant loss of life and damage to buildings. The Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) of China is particularly vulnerable to such events. Building vulnerability assessments are crucial for disaster risk management, linking building damage to landslide intensity and structural characteristics. However, many existing studies are site-specific, limiting their applicability to other regions. This study assesses the building vulnerabilityto landslides in the TGRA using two case studies. SBAS-InSAR-derived differential settlement is combined with in-situ building damage surveys to evaluate building vulnerability. Fragility curves for brick-concrete buildings with shallow foundations, developed from Landslide I, are applied to predict building damage levels in Landslide II. The predictions are compared with survey data to assess the transferability of the fragility curves. The results confirm their reliability and transferability and provide valuable insights for landslide prevention and mitigation in the TGRA.

Keywords: Building vulnerability, Fragility curve, Landslide, SBAS-InSAR, Damagelevel.