Due to its geographical location and history of frequent wars, Japan, especially its capital Tokyo, suffered from a series of natural disasters such as earthquakes and bombings followed by big fires (Sorensen 45-46). Back in Edo era, Japan repeatedly rebuilt the cities when it was struck by earthquakes and following fires, but as modern and industrial era opened, government tried different rebuilding models to make its cities more resilient to fires (Sorensen). However, most of the urban plans and modifications that the government came up with did not work out for Tokyo. For example, the Ginza transformation modeled after European cities by Thomas Water was not welcomed by Tokyoites since he failed to assess their needs and to consider the frequent natural disasters in Japan (Hein 217).

As the government could not suggest urban models that could combat the recurring natural disasters and fires, Tokyoites invented a community based method to resiliently respond to those catastrophic events. People in Tokyo created community groups called “Machizukuri” which run on self- help and self-governance (Sorensen 59). One event that Machizukuri was highly recognized for was when Kobe earthquake of magnitude 7.2 broke out in 1995 and burnt about 7,000 buildings, causing a huge number of casualties (Shaw 21). Machizukuri groups worked closely with the municipal government and urban planners in the“black zones” where roads and infrastructures were successfully recovered. On the other hand, “white zones” which did not have properly running Machizukuri were not able to recover according to their residents’ needs (Shaw 23).

Although humans cannot stop earthquakes from happening, it is possible for the city to minimize its loss by accurately assessing each community’s needs. The Machizukuri as seen in the Kobe earthquake made a great progress in the recovery process by communicating with the city officials and planners. Previously, the city government tried to come up with a one-size-fits-all masterplan of the whole Tokyo, which did not satisfy the needs of all districts since it is almost impossible for planners to evaluate the exact situations of each area. Yet, as Machizukuri actively reported their situations and asked for recoveries that fit their needs, the city could offer better infrastructure with less time and costs.

The implementation of Machizukuri shines a silver lining to Low City, the lower half of Tokyo which always has been the biggest victim of fires and disasters. Its dense, dilapidating buildings that fall behind fireproof regulations and management often caused a huge loss compared to High City, a rich half of Tokyo of which buildings and urban structures are more resilient to disasters. To fill the resilience gap between the rich and poor neighborhood like this, the city needs to work more with community groups which will offer effective ways to rebuild the city in the context of their districts. In the near future, I hope to see Tokyo listening more carefully to Machizukuri from all of its districts to relieve the gap between Low and High City to respond to future geographic catastrophes adequately and justly.

Bibliography

Hein, Carola. “Resilient Tokyo Disaster and Transformation in the Japanese City.” The resilient City: How Modern Cities Recover from Disaster. Ed. Lawrence J. Vale, Ed. Thomas J. Campanella. Oxford: Oxford U Press, 2005. 213-234. Print.

Shaw, Rajib. “Kobe Earthquake: Turning Point of Community-Based Risk Reduction in Japan.” Community Practices for Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan. Tokyo: Springer, 2014. 21-31. Print.

Sorensen, Andre. “Uneven Geographies of Vulnerability: Tokyo in the Twenty-First Century.” Planning Asian Cities: Risks and Resilience. Ed. Stephen Hamnett, Ed. Dean Forbes. Oxon: Routledge, 2013. 40-66. Print.

Do you need an Original High Quality Academic Custom Essay?