Evolution of earthquake crisis management and recovery in Italy after 2009: An expert commentary

Overview & Synopsis

Italy's series of earthquake disasters between 2009 and 2017 (L'Aquila, Emilia-Romagna, Central Italy, and Ischia) catalysed an evolution in crisis management and recovery practices. With selective reference to French practices for contextual contrast, we aim to identify insights transferable to moderate-to-high-seismicity European contexts with comparable institutional capacities. This paper presents an expert commentary on lessons learned across five dimensions: governance, community engagement, technical assessment tools, professional mobilization, and urban reconstruction. It discusses Italy's transition from centralized, top-down governance toward more participatory frameworks that balance efficiency with local ownership. Reforms, including the 2018 Civil Protection Code and 2025 reconstruction framework law, have standardized response procedures while improving coordination between national and regional authorities. Innovations include the updated AeDES building assessment protocol (which harmonizes damage evaluation with European standards), the introduction of a two-phase post-seismic reconnaissance framework, and the standardization of short-term securing countermeasures in the STOP handbook. The establishment of the Struttura Tecnica Nazionale represents a paradigm shift in professional mobilization, creating a network for rapid deployment. Community engagement and psychosocial recovery have emerged as essential components, with research demonstrating that physical reconstruction alone cannot achieve holistic urban recovery (functionality, social environment, etc.). Urban reconstruction strategies have evolved from emergency-driven solutions toward risk-informed and buildback-better approaches that integrate long-term urban planning, culminating in Italy's adoption of strategic relocation from high-risk zones. Although not exhaustive, this commentary highlights key themes that merit further comparative analysis and offers a foundation for cross-border knowledge exchange in disaster risk reduction.