Vulnerability to environmental hazards in the Ciudad Juarez (Mexico)-El Paso (USA) metropolis: A model for spatial risk assessment in transnational context

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to present a geographic information system (GlS)-based method for mapping risk to environmental hazards. Framed by the hazards literature, the method has been developed to specifically overcome issues of data compatibilityassociated with transnational contexts. The approach is elaborated in reference to a project in which risk was spatially characterized, using a suite of biophysical and social indicators, for the Ciudad Juarez (Mexico)-El Paso (USA) metropolis. Resultsreveal clear spatial disparities in hazard vulnerability, both within and between the two cities, based on the differential allocation of selected risk factors. The case indicates that future international analyses will be advanced by the clear definition of concepts, the systematic mining of compatible variables, and the selection of valid risk indicators based on criteria that balance the need to incorporate contextual specificity with general comparability.