A systems approach for managing risks with complex interactions in urban spaces

Extreme phenomena have emerged strongly in urban areas in recent years and are directly linked to the current urban challenges, such as climate change and digital transformation, that future cities must face efficiently. Risk management in urban public spaces is the primary means by which decision makers and local stakeholders ensure urban resilience and enhance urban smartness. In this framework, the current research proposes risk management solutions for urban areas considering their complexity as systems. The implementation of STPA (System-Theoretic Process Analysis) method, as a relatively new hazard analysis technique for complex systems is presented. The applied method delivers a mechanism useful in understanding where gaps in current operational risk structures may exist. The findings in terms of loss scenarios can be used to generate a variety of safeguards to ensure secure operational control and in implementing targeted strategies through standard approaches of risk assessment. Results from a use case in Patras city, Greece, indicate that a systemic, hierarchically structured, and adaptive approach, can effectively assist local stakeholders in risk management of urban public spaces.