University of Cincinnati
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:May18,2007 I, _ _A_d_a__m__ S__ic__k_m__il_le__r_______________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Community Planning in: College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning It is entitled: Social Vulnerability to Natural Disasters: A Study of Skopje, Macedonia This work and its defense approved by: Chair: JohannaLooye,Ph.D. Christopher Auffrey, Ph.D. GaryMiller Social Vulnerability to Natural Disasters: A Study of Skopje, Macedonia A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment for the degree of MASTER OF COMMUNITY PLANNING in the School of Planning at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning by ADAM BYRON SICKMILLER B.S.C., Ohio University, June 2003 Committee Chair: Dr. Johanna Looye Submitted May 2007 ABSTRACT Citizens in developing countries face extreme vulnerability to natural disasters. Disaster vulnerability is exacerbated because of modern human settlement patterns and development priorities. In the West, disaster mitigation techniques rely on science and engineering. In developing countries, resources do not permit this. Therefore, an alternative approach is required. In 1963, an earthquake devastated Skopje, Macedonia. An international response saw the city rebuilt, but today's dramatically different sociopolitical landscape has heightened this city's vulnerability to natural disasters. Based on a 2006 survey of 324 citizens in Skopje, this study profiled earthquake vulnerability in the nation's capital and found that vulnerability varied depending on neighborhood, ethnicity, and income. Feelings of trust in government, a fear of natural disasters, and a sense of fatalism towards the occurrence of disasters varied depending on ethnicity, neighborhood, and income, but not education.
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