Original Otsuchi City Hall, one of the few buildings left standing after the tsunami

Original Otsuchi City Hall, one of the few buildings left standing after the tsunami

Post-Disaster: Japan's Response to the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami

natural disasters; disaster planning; public buildings; ruins

The city hall has not yet been demolished because the residents and officials have yet to decide whether to turn the building into a memorial or to demolish as it is seen as a constant reminder of the disaster.

This project was funded by Bernard and Anne Spitzer Travel Fellowship for research projects involving travel abroad and incorporating the study of architecture, landscape architecture, or urbanism.

The purpose of this research trip to Japan is to identify the qualities of successful post-disaster city planning and architecture, which can potentially be applied towards immediate and impervious strategies on a global level. Since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan has undergone massive improvements, due to advancements in construction technology, community-centered and forward-thinking designs as well as a general faith in rebuilding and recovery. Albeit, some of the tsunami-prevention strategies have stirred international controversy, the Japanese are the undoubted frontrunners in ensuring resiliency in saving human lives. Hopefully this information will shed light on some of the ways we as designers can rethink disaster-risk management and recovery.

Nuguid, Vail

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Vail Nuguid

Architecture and City Planning

T0480

Otsuchi, Iwate, Japan