Sustainability 2012, 4, 2022-2037; doi:10.3390/su4092022 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Article Urban Vulnerability in Bantul District, Indonesia—Towards Safer and Sustainable Development Dyah R. Hizbaron 1,*, Muhammad Baiquni 2, Junun Sartohadi 1 and R. Rijanta 2 1 Department of Environmental Geography, Faculty of Geography, Gadjah Mada University—Sekip Utara, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Department of Regional Development, Faculty of Geography, Gadjah Mada University—Sekip Utara, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia; E-Mails:
[email protected] (M.B.);
[email protected] (R.R.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.:+62-274-545965; Fax: +62-274-545965. Received: 4 April 2012; in revised form: 6 July 2012 / Accepted: 16 July 2012 / Published: 30 August 2012 Abstract: Assuring safer and sustainable development in seismic prone areas requires predictive measurements, i.e., hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment. This research aims to assess urban vulnerability due to seismic hazard through a risk based spatial plan. The idea is to indicate current and future potential losses due to specified hazards with given spatial and temporal units. Herein, urban vulnerability refers to the classic separation between social and physical vulnerability assessments. The research area covers six sub-districts in Bantul, Indonesia. It experienced 6.2 Mw earthquakes on May, 27th, 2006 and suffered a death toll of 5700, economic losses of up to 3.1 billion US$ and damage to nearly 80% of a 508 km2 area. The research area experienced the following regional issues: (1) seismic hazard; (2) rapid land conversion and (3) domination of low-income group.