Environmental Researches

Environmental Researches

Evaluating the Physical- Spatial Resilience of Rural Settlements in Aliabadkatoul County Against Flood Using Shannon Entropy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Hirsa Taheri Mashhadi 1
Esmail Salehi 2
Ahmad Nohegar 2
Shahrzad Faryadi 3
1 PhD Candidate in Environmental Planning, Department of agriculture and natural resources, Alborz Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Profe, School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3 Associate Profe, School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/eiap.2025.229983
Abstract
Climate change has led to an increase in the intensity and frequency of floods. These natural hazards have significant negative impacts on the lives and infrastructure of communities. Examining resilience in various dimensions can provide effective solutions to deal with climate change. This research aimed to evaluate the physical-infrastructural resilience against floods in rural areas of Aliabadkatoul County to enhance the resilience capacity of rural settlements. Flood vulnerability indicators, including elevation, slope, topographic wetness index, rainfall, soil texture, distance from the river, and the 100-year flood zone, were identified. These indicators were evaluated using AHP method. Indicators of quality and structure of buildings, healthcare centers, and distance from roads, electricity, gas, and water were considered as physical indicators in this study, and their weights were determined using Shannon entropy. Then, using a Geographic Information System (GIS), a map of physical-infrastructural resilience for rural areas was prepared. The results showed that regarding the distribution of the rural population, 45.5% of rural areas in the county have good physical-infrastructural resilience, 23.4% have moderate resilience, and 31.1% have low resilience against floods. The central and northern parts of the county have greater resilience due to their more favorable physical and infrastructural features. In contrast, the southern and western regions have lower flood resilience due to the poor quality of structures (60% moderate and 15% low), limited access to infrastructure (52% moderate and 28% low), and unfavorable geographical location. Therefore, policymaking to increase the physical-structural resilience of vulnerable areas is essential.
Keywords
Aliabadkatoul
Climate change
Flood
Physical-infrastructural resilience
Shannon entropy
Subjects

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Environmental Researches
Volume 16, Issue 31
Recerches
September 2025
Pages 191-208