Community Insights: Citizen Participation in Kamaishi Unosumai Decade-Long Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Nombulelo Kitsepile Ngulube; Hirokazu Tatano; Subhajyoti Samaddar

doi:10.1007/s13753-023-00527-5

Volume 14 Issue 6

Dec. 2023

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > International Journal of Disaster Risk Science > 2023 > 14(6): 886-897

Nombulelo Kitsepile Ngulube, Hirokazu Tatano, Subhajyoti Samaddar. Community Insights: Citizen Participation in Kamaishi Unosumai Decade-Long Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2023, 14(6): 886-897. doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00527-5

Citation:

Nombulelo Kitsepile Ngulube, Hirokazu Tatano, Subhajyoti Samaddar. Community Insights: Citizen Participation in Kamaishi Unosumai Decade-Long Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2023, 14(6): 886-897. doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00527-5

Citation:

Nombulelo Kitsepile Ngulube, Hirokazu Tatano, Subhajyoti Samaddar. Community Insights: Citizen Participation in Kamaishi Unosumai Decade-Long Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2023, 14(6): 886-897. doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00527-5

PDF

Community Insights: Citizen Participation in Kamaishi Unosumai Decade-Long Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake

doi: 10.1007/s13753-023-00527-5

1. Department of Social Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan;
2. Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan

Accepted Date: 2023-12-12
Publish Date: 2023-12-27

Abstract

Abstract

Numerous scholars and researchers have long advocated for citizen engagement in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction initiatives, although unique opportunities and challenges in effectively implementing citizen engagement still exist. It has been 12 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, where the government called for a citizen-centered recovery and reconstruction process, and reconstruction in most areas in the Tohoku region has almost been concluded. Using qualitative data acquired through interviews with the residents, field observations during the World Bosai Walk, and questionnaire and archival research, this study aimed to discuss the overall reconstruction of Unosumai in Iwate Prefecture, giving the residents’ perspective on the benefits and challenges they faced in participating in recovery planning and reconstruction and how the community has been able to strengthen their participation in disaster reduction initiatives since the earthquake and tsunami. This discussion is crucial as it would effectively offer lessons on engaging residents in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction after mega-disasters.
- Community participation,
- Community perspective,
- Japan,
- Post-disaster,
- Reconstruction,
- Recovery planning

FullText(HTML)

References(54)

References

[1]	Allen, K.M. 2006. Community-based disaster preparedness and climate adaptation: Local capacity-building in the Philippines. Disasters 30(1): 81–101.
[2]	Arnstein, S.R. 1969. A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Planning Association 35(4): 216–224.
[3]	Barenstein, J. 2012. The role of communities in post-disaster reconstruction. A call for owner-driven approaches. Tafter Journal 50: 1–12.
[4]	Baum, H.S. 2001. Citizen participation. In International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences, ed. N.J. Smelser, and P.B. Baltes, 1840–1846. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
[5]	Boano, C., and G. Marisol. 2011. Lost in translation? The challenges of an equitable post-disaster reconstruction process: Lessons from Chile. Environmental Hazards 10(3): 293–309.
[6]	Bongo, P., P. Chipangura, M. Sithole, and F. Moyo. 2013. A rights-based analysis of disaster risk reduction framework in Zimbabwe and its implications for policy and practice. Jamba: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.
[7]	Buckland, J., and M. Rahman. 2019. Community-based disaster management during the 1997 Red River Flood in Canada. Disasters 23(2): 174–191.
[8]	Chandrasekhar, D. 2012. Digging deeper: Participation and non-participation in post-disaster community recovery. Community Development 43(5): 614–629.
[9]	Cheek, W. 2020. The paradox of community involvement: Rebuilding Minamisanriku. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal 29(6): 893–907.
[10]	Cho, A. 2014. Post-tsunami recovery and reconstruction: Governance issues and implications of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Disasters. https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12068.
[11]	Kamaishi City. 2019. Kamaishi City report. Hard-copy booklet
[12]	Davidson, C.H., C. Johnson, G. Lizarralde, N. Dikmen, and A. Sliwinski. 2007. Truths and myths about community participation in post-disaster housing projects. Habitat International 31(1): 100–115.
[13]	Dube, E. 2020. The build-back-better concept as a disaster risk reduction strategy for positive reconstruction and sustainable development in Zimbabwe: A literature study. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 43: Article 101401
[14]	Edgington, D.W. 2010. Restructuring Kobe: The geography of crisis and opportunity. Vancouver: UBC Press.
[15]	Ganapati, N.E., and S. Ganapati. 2009. Enabling participatory planning after disasters. Journal of the American Planning Association 75(1): 41–59.
[16]	Guo, Y. 2012. Urban resilience in post-disaster reconstruction: Towards a resilient development in Sichuan, China. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 3(1): 45–55.
[17]	Hamideh, S. 2020. Opportunities and challenges of public participation in post-disaster recovery planning: Lessons from Galveston, TX. Natural Hazards 21(4): Article 05020009
[18]	Imperiale, A.J., and F. Vanclay. 2020. Top-down reconstruction and the failure to “build back better” resilient communities after disaster: Lessons from the 2009 L’Aquila Italy Earthquake. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal 29(4): 541–555.
[19]	Iuchi, K., and J. Mutter. 2020. Governing community relocation after major disasters: An analysis of three different approaches and its outcomes in Asia. Progress in Disaster Science 6: Article 100071
[20]	Japan Times. 2020. A decade on, real challenges lie ahead for communities devasted by the March 2011 disaster. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/03/06/national/tohoku-challenges-quake-anniversary. Accessed 21 Dec 2021
[21]	Krieken, V., U. Kulatunga, and C. Pathirage. 2017. Importance of community participation in disaster recovery. University of Salford Institutional Repository. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/43859/. Accessed 29 May 2022
[22]	Layder, D. 1994. Understanding social theory. London: Sage Publications.
[23]	Lu, Y., D. Xu, Q. Wang, and J. Xu. 2018. Multi-stakeholder collaboration in community post-disaster reconstruction: A case study from the Longmen Shan Fault area in China. Environmental Hazards 17(2): 85–106.
[24]	Lyons, M. 2009. Building back better: The large-scale impact of small-scale approaches to reconstruction. World Development 37(2): 385–398.
[25]	Maly, E. 2018. Building back better with people-centered housing recovery. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 29: 84–93.
[26]	Mannakkara, S., and S. Wilkinson. 2014. Re-conceptualising “building back better” to improve post-disaster recovery. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business 7(3): 327–341.
[27]	Mannakkara, S., S. Wilkinson, and R. Potangaroa. 2019. Resilient post disaster recovery through building back better, 1st edn. New York: Routledge.
[28]	McNamara, C. 2022. General guidelines for conducting research interviews, adapted from the field guide to consulting and organizational development. Free Management Library 2–4. https://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/interviews.htm. Accessed 25 May 2022
[29]	Moon, K., and D. Blackman. 2014. A guide to understanding social science research for natural scientists. Conservation Biology 28: 1167–1177.
[30]	Murphy, R., M. Pelling, H. Adams, S. DiVicenz, and E. Visman. 2018. Survivor-led response: Local recommendations to operationalise building back better. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 31: 135–142.
[31]	Mwita, K. 2022. Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research in social science studies. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science 11(6): 618–625.
[32]	Nakatani, H. 2019. Population ageing in Japan: Policy transformation, sustainable development goals, universal health coverage, and social determinates of health. Global Health & Medicine 1(1): 3–10.
[33]	Pandey, B., and K. Okazaki. 2005. Communiy based disaster managament: Empowering communities to cope with disaster risks. Reginal Development Dialogue 26(2): 52.
[34]	Pelling, M. 2007. Learning from others: The scope and challenges for participatory disaster risk assessment. Disasters 31(4): 373–385.
[35]	Posio, P. 2019. Reconstruction machizukuri and negotiating safety in post-311 community recovery in Yamamoto. Contemporary Japan 31(1): 40–60.
[36]	Iwate Prefecture. 2019. Moving toward reconstruction (Issue August). http://iwate-archive.pref.iwate.jp/. Accessed 10 May 2022
[37]	Iwate Prefecture. 2021. Moving toward reconstruction (Issue August). http://iwate-archive.pref.iwate.jp/. Accessed 10 May 2022
[38]	Ranghieri, F., and M. Ishiwatari. 2014. Learning from mega disasters: Lessons from the great east Japan earthquake. Washington DC: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
[39]	Ray-Bennett, N.S., K. Clarke, and D. Mendez. 2022. Sendai framework’s global targets A and B: Opinions from the global platform for disaster risk reduction’s ignite stage 2019. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science 13(5): 651–663.
[40]	Reconstruction Agency. 2016. Great East Japan Earthquake. Tokyo, Japan: Reconstruction Agency. https://www.reconstruction.go.jp/english/topics/GEJE/index.html. Accessed 10 Dec 2022
[41]	Ritchie, L.A. 2012. Individual stress, collective trauma, and social capital in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Sociological Inquiry 82(2): 187–211.
[42]	Rosenberg, H., N.A. Errett, and D.P. Eisenman. 2022. Working with disaster-affected communities to envision healthier futures: A trauma-informed approach to post-disaster recovery planning. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(3): Article 1723
[43]	Rowlands, A. 2013. Disaster recovery management in Australia and the contribution of social work. Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation 12: 19–38.
[44]	Sacramento, N.J.J.E., and D.B. Geges. 2019. Community livelihood recovery: Experiences from 2006 guimaras oil spill in the Philippines. Journal of Human Ecology 8: 50–67.
[45]	Sadiqi, Z., B. Trigunarsyah, and V. Coffey. 2016. A framework for community participation in post-disaster housing reconstruction projects: A case of Afghanistan. International Journal of Project Management 35(5): 900–912.
[46]	Samaddar, S., M. Yokomatsu, F. Dayour, M. Oteng-Ababio, T. Dzivenu, M. Adams, and H. Ishikawa. 2015. Evaluating effective public participation in disaster management and climate change adaptation: Insights from northern Ghana through a user-based approach. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy 6(1): 117–143.
[47]	Samaddar, S., N. Okada, J. Choi, and H. Tatano. 2017. What constitutes successful participatory disaster risk management? Insights from post-earthquake reconstruction work in Rural Gujarat. India. Natural Hazards 85(1): 111–138.
[48]	Cabinet Secretariat. 2011. The reconstruction design council in response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. https://japan.kantei.go.jp/kan/actions/201106/25KAIGI. Accessed 10 May 2022
[49]	Shafique, K., and C.M.J. Warren. 2018. Empowerment and legitimisation of affected communities in post-disaster reconstruction. Procedia Engineering 212: 1171–1178.
[50]	Shafique, K. 2016. Success of post-natural disaster reconstruction projects: Significance of community perspective. International Journal of Business and Management 11(9): Article 69
[51]	Shaw, R. 2012. Overview of community-based disaster risk reduction. In Community-based disaster risk reduction, ed. R. Shaw, 3–17. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
[52]	Tsuji, T. 2017. Citizen participation in the disaster reconstruction process: Lessons from the great east Japan earthquake. In Community, environment and disaster risk management, ed. W.L. Waugh, and Z. Han, 105–126. Leeds: Emerald Publishing Limited.
[53]	Ubaura, M., and S. Akiyama. 2016. Planning processes for reconstruction with citizen participation after large-scale disasters: A case study of reconstruction study meetings in Miyako City after the great east Japan earthquake. Journal of Disaster Research 11(3): 486–495.
[54]	Vallance, S. 2015. Disaster recovery as participation: Lessons from the shaky isles. Natural Hazards 75(2): 1287–1301.