Methods, techniques, and tools for assessing the seismic vulnerability of building stocks

The task of selecting the most appropriate method or technique to assess the seismic vulnerability of large building stocks must be based on a proper balance between the simplicity of the tool to be used and the accuracy of the results, knowing that vulnerability assessment outputs are inevitably affected by uncertainties of multiple origins, including those related to the limitations of the models themselves, and with distinct impacts. To safeguard against such uncertainties (or at least to minimize their impact), any assessment must be founded on a solid knowledge of the method to be used and the criteria behind the selection of this method over others. In an attempt to contribute to systematizing this knowledge, the present chapter provides a comprehensive review of some of the most relevant methods and techniques used for assessing large-scale seismic vulnerability.