Creating urban resilience using spatial planning: The case of Miyako City during the first five years after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

When a city is struck by a disaster, it faces huge challenges which persist even after the first shock of the event is conquered. Often, large parts of the city are partially or completely destroyed, which makes the reconstruction process time- and cost-intensive. On the other hand, the massive destruction that a disaster causes also opens a window of opportunity, because it eliminates the former urban structure and reduces the opportunity costs for change. As a consequence, spatial planners are enabled to change the urban structure and design a more resilient city. Based on the experiences in Japan’s Miyako City after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, this chapter examines how the reconstruction process can be used to create urban resilience.