Methodology to analyze the environmental vulnerability of the population living in areas of flood and hillside sliding risks: an empirical analysis in the Onça river basin (metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil)

Glauco Umbelino, Centro de Desenvolvimento e Planejamento Regional (CEDEPLAR)

The main objective of this paper is to propose a methodology to analyze over time the environmental vulnerability of the population living in areas of flood and hillside sliding risks. Environmental vulnerability is considered as the intersection between risk areas related to the physical environment, and socially and economically deprived population groups. This article develops a methodological approach and proposes an empirical analysis of environmental vulnerability in the Onça river basin (located in the metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil), which has been subject to high population pressures for many decades. It was created a GIS which integrates environmental and census data and allows analyzing the spatial distribution of physical, population and socioeconomic characteristics in the river basin. The conclusion discusses how this methodology can be applied to other urban river basins and how it can be a useful tool to inform urban planning in areas of high environmental vulnerability.