Objective Conventional hazard-centered geohazard susceptibility identification methods face inherent limitations in accurately locating elements at risk. This study aims to establish a new element-at-risk-centered paradigm for refined geohazard susceptibility identification, providing a novel technical approach for the early detection of potential geohazards.

Methods Using Shangrao Town in Guangdong Province as a case study, this work integrates "integrated real property data" with a high-resolution DEM to construct an innovative geohazard susceptibility identification model based on the quantitative assessment of neighborhood-scale risk surrounding elements at risk. Through a neighborhood raster range-based analytical method, the risk relationships between buildings and adjacent slopes are quantified. Two susceptibility indicators, i.e. "Slope-related geohazard susceptibility zones" and "Terrain relief-associated geohazard susceptibility zones.", are generated. This achieves indexed and spatially explicit representation of geohazard susceptibility.

Results Validation results show that the total area of the two types of potential susceptibility zones generated by the proposed model is 0.61～0.91 km², substantially smaller than the 22.55 km² key investigation area delineated using conventional methods. Among 101 field-verified building-related risk points, the identification accuracy rates for the slope-related and terrain relief-associated geohazard susceptibility zones reached 91.09% and 93.07%, respectively—significantly higher than the 79.21% accuracy achieved by traditional methods. The proposed model also exhibits strong applicability when extended to highway geohazard risk identification.

Conclusion The proposed element-at-risk-centered paradigm and its implementation model significantly enhance the refinement and efficiency of geohazard susceptibility identification, effectively addressing the critical question of “which specific building is at risk.” The method provides direct decision-making support for precise geohazard risk prevention and control.