Heritage, Risk, and Communities: Multi-Hazard Approaches to Resilient Built Environments

Cultural heritage is increasingly recognized as a key component of sustainable urban development, yet it remains highly vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic hazards. Traditional risk assessment approaches have largely focused on the physical attributes of buildings, often overlooking the broader social, spatial, and institutional dimensions that shape risk. Recent international frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, highlight the need for integrated, multi-hazard, and people-centered approaches. In historic urban areas, risk emerges from the interaction between vulnerable built fabric, complex urban morphology, and socially differentiated populations. Governance challenges, including fragmented institutional responsibilities and limited community engagement, further intensify vulnerability. This context calls for new analytical frameworks capable of addressing risk as a systemic, multi-scalar, and socially embedded phenomenon.This Research Topic aims to advance knowledge and practice in disaster risk management for cultural heritage by promoting integrated, multi-hazard, and community-centered approaches. It addresses the limitations of conventional methods by incorporating social vulnerability, urban network dynamics, and governance structures into risk analysis in historic environments. The collection seeks to foster methodological innovation, including multi-criteria assessment tools, spatial analysis techniques, and participatory frameworks that support decision-making. It also highlights advances in modeling risk across hazards( such as earthquakes, fires, and floods) and their interactions within complex urban systems. Furthermore, it aims to bridge research and practice by encouraging contributions linked to policy-making, planning instruments, and institutional coordination, supporting more resilient and inclusive heritage management strategies.This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, case studies, and methodological papers addressing disaster risk in cultural heritage and historic urban areas. Contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following themes: multi-hazard risk assessment (seismic, fire, flood, climate-related risks); integration of physical and social vulnerability; community-based and participatory approaches to risk management; spatial and network-based analyses; risk governance and institutional frameworks; decision-support tools and digital technologies (e.g., GIS, simulation models); and post-disaster recovery and adaptation strategies. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary contributions that bridge engineering, urban planning, social sciences, and heritage studies. Submissions focusing on underrepresented contexts in scientific literature are especially welcome, including cases that are often overlooked due to their local or context-specific nature. Topic editors: Pilar Baquedano Juliá, Rafael Ramirez Eudave Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80859/heritage-risk-and-communities-multi-hazard-approaches-to-resilient-built-environments