A case study – the General Urban Plan of City of Skopje in Context of Seismic Risk

Skopje and its surrounding areas have developed in a seismically ac tive region. The measures for mitigating seismic risk are classified as structural and non-structural. Application of seismic design codes is the most crucial structural measure for reducing seismic risk. Among non-structural seismic risk mitigation measures, urban planning is recognized as a very important instrument. To find out the contribution of the urban planning to seismic risk mit igation in Skopje, this study focuses on the General Urban Plan (GUP) prepared for the City of Skopje with plan period of 2012-2022. The content of the GUP is analyzed in context of seismic risk by searching for information which is related to seismicity and measures suggested by the plan to reduce the negative consequences of earthquakes. Within the plan documentation of GUP there is an annex with seismic hazard maps. Also, in the textual part of the plan there is a section devoted to seismic hazard. However, the guidelines for mitigating the seismic risk are limited to selection of locations based on seismic hazard information, while the vulnerability to seismic risk of the existing urban areas is not considered. Mitigating seismic risk at urban scale requires multidisciplinary approach. This to be achieved it is required to establish a collaboration between the earthquake engineers, seismologists and urban planners.