A spatial DEA-based framework for analyzing the effectiveness of disaster risk reduction policy implementation: A case study of earthquake-oriented urban renewal policy in Yongkang, Taiwan

Due to the many large earthquakes that have occurred in recent years, the role of seismic risk reduction in building resilient cities has become a matter of concern. The serious disaster damage brought by seismic hazards causes the adoption of migration policies such as building control in the preparedness phase. However, the restricted budget of governments resulting from the global state of economic distress generates a prioritization problem. A decision support framework could be helpful for governments to systematically integrate the complex information when implementing disaster risk reduction policies toward sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to construct an analytical framework based on Geographic Information System (GIS) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for addressing the prioritization problem by calculating policy efficiency. The spatial DEA-based framework combines indices calculation, spatial database construction, and DEA. Taiwan is an island located in the Circum-Pacific Belt, and has paid long-term attention to adopting policies for earthquake disaster prevention. A policy of earthquake-oriented urban renewal combining enhanced building capacity and city resilience has recently been implemented. A case study of the Yongkang district of the Tainan Metropolis in Taiwan was conducted in this study. The results show an operable framework and propose a suggestion for planning efficient policy priorities in each decision-making unit. In sum, the analytical framework proposed in this study could be a component of a decision support system for governments to adopt disaster risk reduction policies in the process of policy-making and implementation.