The experience gained after series of severe calamitous events that struck many of the regions of the Mediterranean area, highlighted the importance of the knowledge of the land vulnerability degree for the suitable planning of a local prevention policy in the respect of the sustainable territorial development. Thanks to the studies carried out among them those available from the former project SISMA(Interreg III B Cadses), the attention is focused on the necessity to set up a basic methodology, without performing further studies. Through this methodology all the PP can be acquired in homogeneous way the basic vulnerability assessment and to identify which are the strong and weak points of the urban system in case of seismic event.
This methodology will be adapted according to the characteristics of PP’s territory all the factors that determine the urban vulnerability and the urban scale benchmarks that will provide an adequate identification of its critical aspects. Macro objective of the project is to enhance the growth of the prevention culture towards all authorities and Public bodies involved in the management of the historic center. SECURA therefore, expected since its beginning, intense phases of exchange and communication also implementing the network already set up among the PP of the project SISMA. In a 1°phase, a series of exchanges with representatives of local, regional, national bodies for the respective levels of competence are scheduled, in order to acquire the methodology of the project SISMA for assessing the degree of vulnerability to the seismic risk. Due to the awareness of the degree of vulnerability of urban system, SECURA provides for the development of those measures and actions for the integrated prevention of the urban system. For this purpose and according to the methodological model of SISMA the following components will be analysed in depth: the urban system component (i.e. the geological, infrastructure, city block, socio-demographic, technical infrastructural, cultural heritage) the human presence, the resilience of the buildings and infrastructures, the socio-economic activities, the activities and the strategic centers, the "structure" of the population, all as a whole, to determine which components are most vulnerable and in need of appropriate prevention strategies. The identification of best practices on how to implement integrated actions for the protection of the centre and the surrounding environment and, therefore, maintain the level of socio-economic development through existing know how and through specific pilot projects aimed at outlining the regional policy, will have as a result the set up of strategic actions, civil protection plans, proposal of policies for the socio-economic recovery of the territories. Remarkable will be also the collaboration of citizens, the socio-economic operators for an active cooperation aimed at its own safeguard and the preservation of socio-economic system.

The overall objective of project SECURA is the definition of an integrated approach for reducing the effects caused by the natural disaster to an old town centre with the aim of protecting its population, preserving the building patrimony and its cultural heritage and, finally, defining the needful actions for an early recovery of the socio-economic pattern. The reduction of risk in the future perspective ensures the sustainable improvement of the sustainable development of the centers involved, preserving the quality of their cultural and natural heritage in the respect of an economic balance, which have to be planned and guaranteed even post disaster event. Measures and actions will be identified to ensure the resistance of historic centers to disasters and they will be aimed at setting indicators/indications for the proper construction or preservation of existing infrastructures, particularly the lifelines which may affect the urban areas that are crucial for the emergency period. A very important aspect is also the sharing of common tools and methods of intervention on real estate and in particular on cultural heritage that would allow a reduction of damages caused by earthquakes. The actions envisaged are related to the knowledge and assessment of the vulnerability of urban centers, on the basis of experiences, methodologies and results already obtained with SISMA, in order to analyze and focus the strengths and weak aspects of the urban system so to plan the necessary interventions for the mitigation of the seismic risk. Also civil protection actions for testing the capacity of the working bodies and voluntary will be envisaged with the direct involvement of the population properly educated to an "auto/protection” behaviour. SECURA will focus the importance of the role of the local governments at municipal level, for the direct management of operations and for an appropriate relationship with citizens who have to become major actors of aid and support to the working groups that operate in emergency. It emphasizes also the importance of institutional role of the public bodies with capacity of legislation that may adopt rules that facilitate the activities for the risk prevention.
To that purpose, the project aims to improve education and training of people by arranging proper courses and civil protection exercises so to wide disseminate the culture of risk prevention also towards the public operators included the technicians who deal with the management of the city center.