Urban resilience in post-disaster reconstruction: Towards a resilient development in Sichuan, China

Abstract

This article discusses the post-disaster urban resilience design framework in the case of post-disaster urban reconstruction in Sichuan after the Great Sichuan Earthquake (also known as the Wenchuan Earthquake) in May 2008 in China. The focus is on three main aspects of post-disaster urban reconstruction: sociospatial coherence, temporal continuity, and multistakeholder integration and communication. Critical interpretation of the government-guided reconstruction reveals that reconstruction was limited to the generic production and implementation of top-down planning. From the perspective of urban resilience, and through an alternative design scenario developed in this research, this article highlights an urban resilience design framework based on postdisaster development in the Sichuan city of Dujiangyan. By identifying the deficiencies of the governmental reconstruction where in many aspects resilience has not been considered, and by proposing the alternative where resilience has been considered to develop a better living, this research seeks to integrate urban resilience as a key aspect in the Sichuan reconstruction and as essential for developing the postdisaster city towards a more coherent, sustainable, and integral urban future.

Measuring County Resilience After the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

“…The communities and cities in the surrounding region of Wenchuan County are highly exposed to earthquakes with high magnitude and huge destruction. Although this region is generally very vulnerable to earthquakes due to its weak economic base, less diverse industrial structure, and poor social resources, some counties performed better (for example, lost less and recovered more quickly) than others during and after the disasters (Guo 2012). Therefore, finding the factors that made some counties perform better than others is the key to promote resilience in a wider area.…”

“…The Wenchuan Earthquake, which occurred on 12 May 2008 is known for its huge destruction and high mortality. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake caused more than 69,227 deaths and property damages of over RMB 845.1 billion Yuan (Guo 2012). Due to the mountainous landscape, low economic development, and poor infrastructure, Wenchuan County and its surrounding regions are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes and secondary disasters such as landslides and barrier lake floods.…”

“…Due to the mountainous landscape, low economic development, and poor infrastructure, Wenchuan County and its surrounding regions are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes and secondary disasters such as landslides and barrier lake floods. Although these counties have similar characteristics in many aspects, observers noted that some counties experienced less damage during earthquakes and recovered more quickly afterwards (Guo 2012). Based on these observations, two questions are put forward: (1) are some counties more resilient to earthquakes than others; and (2) what socioeconomic characteristics make a county more resilient?…”

Geographical Analysis of Community Resilience to Seismic Hazard in Southwest China

“…The prioritized allocation of resources for reconstruction, labor, and funds from society and government might have contributed to a faster recovery and thus created apparent higher community resilience from the seismic disaster. Economic loss per capita is still the main criteria for prioritizing disaster relief and recovery by the government (Guo 2012). Our model shows that communities and individuals who really need more assistance may well be located in ethnic monitory and densely built-up areas.…”

“…1a). The Wenchuan Earthquake caused over 69,227 casualties and resulted in losses of RMB 845.1 billion Yuan (over USD 130 billion); more than 90 % of these losses occurred in Sichuan Province (Guo 2012). The quake intensity map in Fig.…”