The risk of earthquake disaster is gradually diminishing in the richer earthquake-prone countries, but it is growing rapidly in the poorer countries because of increasing populations, rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation, and deteriorating older building stock. This paper discusses some of the factors that contribute to the high vulnerability of both rural and urban populations in seismic areas, and suggests that, to reduce this vulnerability, more attention needs to be paid to the traditional non-engineered construction methods of these countries and their existing building stock.
R.J.S. Spence and A.W. Coburn