Seismic Risk, Urbanization and Prevention, Case of Gjilan City

Abstract

Seismic risk is one of the greatest threats facing our country, Kosovo. The Gjilan region is considered one of the most at-risk areas in the country. In the past, the Gjilan region has been struck hundreds of times by earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.0 to 6.1, and these seismic events attest to the seismic risks for the region, also based on the Gjilan fault which extends southwest-northeast. Urban areas in the territory of Kosovo, including the city of Gjilan, are experiencing extreme urban transformation, and the urbanization process since independence in 1999 has not been taken seriously, considering the seismic risk factor. The current study does not include comprehensive research on the seismic risk of the region of Gjilan, but for some urban areas of the city of Gjilan, and evaluates the analysis resulting from geophysical studies in several locations with seismic acceleration parameters concerning risk prevention, that is urban areas with all parameters for designs, creating security for the lives of citizens.