Hirohide Kobayashi

Housing Conditions of a Lagoon Village in a Flood-prone Area of Central Vietnam

Abstract The climatic and geographic features of central Vietnam frequently contribute to annual floods, and several disastrous floods have been recorded in the last few decades. The most recent and disastrous flood, in 1999, is still memorable within the affected area, due to the magnitude of catastrophe inflicted by floodwaters. However, the flooding effects in rural areas are not often reported in detail. This study aims to clarify flood-adaptation measures and the vulnerability of housing conditions in the flood-prone area, based on a field survey of a lagoon village. The surveyed houses can be classified into four different types that have similar spatial layouts. Most of the surveyed houses show characteristics of adapting well to annual floods; for example, floor levels are conventionally raised to adjust to the height of annual floodwaters in each location. Nonetheless, housing conditions are still vulnerable to future disastrous floods, as efficient flood-prevention features—such as the provision of two-story durable housing—often prove too expensive for most villagers. Thus, villagers need to develop other measures to prepare themselves better for disastrous flooding.

CONSERVING TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY HOUSES OF THE KATU ETHNIC MINORITY IN NAM DONG DISTRICT, CENTRAL VIETNAM

The traditional community house, locally known as “Guol,” represents unique indigenous architecture of the Katu ethnic minority living in the mountainous region of Central Vietnam. In recent decades, changes in living environment have gradually eroded traditional lifestyles, particularly that of people using traditional community houses. This study explores all types of community houses in Nam Dong district and focuses on two traditional community houses in A Xang and Doi hamlets. A case study of the two hamlets shows the importance of natural resources, community cooperation, and indigenous knowledge. The research concludes with a discussion of conservation strategies in modern context.

Change of Livelihoods and Living Conditions After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Case of the Post-Disaster Rehabilitation of the Moklen Community in Tungwa Village, Southern Thailand

The Moklen—often referred to as “sea gypsies”—are an ethnic minority with a long history of settlement in Southern Thailand. In contrast to the culturally and ethnically closely related Moken—who traditionally spent about 9 months at sea—, the Moklen have settled along the Andaman Coast for a long time and rely on coastal resources (e.g. mangrove ecosystems) and plantation work for their livelihoods. The Moklen do not have official land ownership titles due to their previous semi-nomadic lifestyle and restrictive government land policies. In this chapter, we first describe the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami on Moklen communities in Southern Thailand. We then analyze how a Moklen community in Phang Nga Province was affected by the various post-disaster recovery efforts. Our findings suggest that the Moklen people have become more vulnerable after the tsunami disaster due to hasty rebuilding of their settlement and persistent conflicts with expanding tourist resorts and related pressures on the natural resources they depend on.

Impacts of Rapid Urbanization to Traditional Living Environment and Community Linkage in Historic Old Quarters of Vietnam： A Case Study on Gia Hoi Area in Hue City, Central Vietnam

Though with slight ups and downs, Vietnamese economies have been flourishing for recent decades. Just like other remaining historical districts in Asia, those of Vietnam have been going through rapid urbanization and transformation. The rapid urbanization impacts on traditional living environment. This paper examines the impacts of rapid urbanization to traditional living environment and community linkage, illustrating a case study of the Gia Hoi area of the historic old district in the city of Hue in Central Vietnam. To identify the impacts, a comparative analysis is conducted between neighbors along a main street which were more impacted by urbanization and those along a small alley which were less impacted. Through the analysis of field and questionnaire surveys, it found out that socioeconomic conditions, in particular, community linkage of households along main street and small ally varied significantly. It argues that in historical district, social capital is not well-spread, but rather concentrated along small allies, and small allies play an important role for sustainable community.

Urine-Diverting System for Securing Sanitation in Disaster and Emergency Situations

AbstractBecause securing sanitation was one of the great concerns after the Great East Japan earthquake of 2011, the writers developed a disaster-responsive portable toilet unit modeled after urine-diverting toilets. The unit, which separates urine and feces, is produced from ready-to-assemble plastic cardboard, which facilitates transportation and stocking. The separated feces are processed without any water and electricity using a mixture of lime and carbonized rice husks or dry soil, which promotes the drying and alkalization of feces for disinfection and deodorization. The urine may be discharged without treatment because it contains few pathogens. By July 2011, 54 units had been provided to the disaster-affected areas of East Japan, where they have been evaluated positively and acquired for future preparedness. This paper describes the development of this portable toilet unit and proposes a disaster responsive and environmentally friendly system for routine use in public buildings that, in emergencie...