Reconstructing post-earthquake settlement using community deliberation participation approach in Yogyakarta-Indonesia

Abstract

An earthquake occurred in 2006 at Yogyakarta which damaged 209,494 buildings and caused the death of 4,143 people. A post-disaster settlement reconstruction covering all settlement facilities and infrastructure was initiated using a participatory approach which involved the targeted residents in the process of mapping the conditions, potentials, and resources of the region. It is, however, important to evaluate the effectiveness of this reconstruction method to reduce the impacts of such disaster in the future. Therefore, this research was conducted to focus on the forms, levels, and driving factors of citizen participation at each reconstruction stage. A qualitative descriptive method was employed through the use of observation and the findings showed that citizens were involved in the process by attending and participating in rembug warga forums, suggesting ideas, donating funds, and serving as personnel at the socialization, planning, and implementation stages. The reconstruction led to the construction of quality residential infrastructure and facilities due to the systematic and integrated coordination of the rembug warga forums.