Estimation of earthquake vulnerability of Izmit by using analytical hierarchy process and rapid assessment methods

Comprehensive assessments of large urban building stocks are generally impractical due to substantial time and cost requirements. Therefore, when the evaluation of a large number of structures is necessary, rapid screening techniques such as the Principles for Identifying Risky Buildings (RYTEIE) are utilized. These methods enable preliminary judgments regarding the structural condition through visual inspections. However, since the results obtained from rapid assessment approaches are based on a set of assumptions, it is essential to examine their reliability. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a multi-criteria decision-making method that organizes and prioritizes evaluation criteria within a hierarchical framework. In this study, the reliability of the variables considered as risk factors in the RYTEIE method was assessed using AHP. The building stock in the İzmit district – located at the epicenter of the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake (Mw 7.4) and one of Türkiye’s major industrial centers – was analysed using both methods. When the structures were prioritized according to their average scores and standard deviations, it was determined that 20.43% were located in the highest-risk category according to the RYTEIE method and 22.57% according to the AHP method.