Abstract
Design professionals have not often been consulted regarding devastation after natural disasters. Most solutions and techniques of natural disaster-related recovery emphasize infrastructure engineering and food provision. Whereas recovery efforts and basic survival demand that food delivery and movement be facilitated in such areas, issues designers concern themselves with are seldom considered. Designers’ focus is on integration of ecological and cultural concerns in planning for disaster recovery. Indeed, after events such as the Southeast Asian tsunami of 2004, societies must start again with few material objects but with an extensive cultural consciousness. This paper addresses the role that designers play in such a situation. It is suggested how designers and other professionals can facilitate a series of best practices in disaster recovery. Overviews of large-scale disasters from three countries show how cultural and ecological considerations are the two elements most needed in disaster planning, both pre and post-event. Suggestions are made about how these elements may be best incorporated into future eco-culturally-based recovery efforts. Evaluation of design precedents used to renovate the natural and built environment is a positive and necessary framework for recovery.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chang S-H (2002) The Korean war and urbanization in Seoul. Urban Research, Korean Institution of Urban Research 8:154–191
Choi Y-P (1986) City and flood from special topic: city and disaster. Urban Probl :53–64
Comerio M (1999) Disaster hits home: new policy for urban housing recovery. University of California Press, Berkeley
Dempsey G (1993) Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Forestry. Chapter 8 -Notes on Hurricane Andrew. Retrieved March 29, 2005 from http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/sotuf/chapter_8/notes_hurricane_andrew.htm
Department of Finance and Administration, Ministry of Civil Affairs of China (MCA) (2001) China civil affairs statistical yearbook, China Statistics Press
Do D-H (1990) Flood damage from special topic: geotechnology and natural disaster. Annals of the Association of Koran Institute of Geotechnology: 121–129
Farrago A (2004) In Charley’s Wake opportunity from misfortune. Counter Punch News Journal
Hartwig RP (2002) Florida case study: economic impacts of business closures in hurricane prone counties. Insurance Information Institute
Kim H-S (2001) Ecological planning of urban rainwater circulation system. Building Culture (Special Report): 144–149
Ministry of Civil Affairs of P. R. China (MCAPRC) (2001) Natural disaster and disaster relief in China. Department of Monitoring and Prediction, China Seismology Bureau
Pistilli SD (1995) The Weather channel special report: storms of the century, Part 4. Florida Recovers. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from http://www.weather.com/newscenter/specialreports/sotc/storm10/andrew/page4.html
Seismological Bureau of Hebei Province (SBHP) (2000) Record on earthquake disaster relief decision making in Tangshan, Seismology Press
State Statistics Bureau & Ministry of Civil Affairs (SSB & MCA) (1996) Report of the damage caused by disaster in China, China Statistics Press
Tobin M (1992) Special Report: the human side of hurricane recovery. Disaster Recovery Journal. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from http://www.drj.com/special/andrew.html
UNDRO (1991) Mitigating natural disasters. A manual for policy makers and planners, UN
Ye Y-X (1986) Earthquake damage to brick buildings and their strengthening techniques. In: Proceedings of the 10th triennial congress of the CIB, Paris, vol. 4, pp. 1583–1589
Ye Y-X (1991) Contemporary disaster prevention levels and disaster mitigation methodologies. Disaster Reduction in China, 1(2)
Ye Y-X, Norio O (2001) Improving management of urban earthquake disaster risks. In: Spencer BF, Hu Jr YX, Balkema AA (eds) Earthquake engineering frontiers in the new millennium. The Netherlands, pp 113–118
Zhou Q et al (ed) (1997) Research on social recovery and social issues in Tangshan earthquake disaster area, Seismology Press
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chang, Hj., Hargrove, R., Long, Yx. et al. Reconstruction after the 2004 tsunami: ecological and cultural considerations from case studies. Landscape Ecol Eng 2, 41–51 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-006-0035-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-006-0035-3