Michiko Banba

Experience from the United States: Post-Katrina and Sandy

Land use management in the United States is decided at the local level and not directly controlled by disaster recovery plans and policies. However, disaster mitigation and recovery policies and initiatives are closely connected to and influence land use patterns. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, recovery policies and programs had direct and varied impacts on land use in the affected areas, where, as part of recovery programs after both disasters, government buyouts have been used to purchase houses and property. In terms of implications for land use, the main difference between buyouts after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy is if programs targeted damaged houses individually or by area. As damaged houses and lots were acquired individually in New Orleans after Katrina, vacant lots were left scattered throughout the city. To avoid similar outcomes after Sandy, New York City focused on property acquisition for redevelopment, and New York State’s buyout programs also targeted clusters of damaged houses and properties in coastal areas. After Sandy, new initiatives to address land use issues and resilience were also introduced through the Rebuild by Design (RbD) program, which began as an unprecedented design competition to consider resilience issues at a regional scale and was funded through a combination of public and private support. In addition to the geographical, political, and development contexts, the timing of Sandy recovery coincides with an ongoing processes of flood map updates and flood insurance reforms, which are closely linked to housing recovery as well as existing and evolving patterns of land use in affected areas.

Japan’s Experiences of Catastrophic Mountain Disasters in Wakayama

Wakayama Prefecture is a part of the Kii Peninsula, one of the most typhoon- and rainfall-prone areas in Japan, while the 80 % of its land is covered by precipitous mountains. Due to its geographical and geological characteristics, Wakayama has ever suffered repeated sediment disasters, such as debris flows, slope failure, and landslides, since ancient times. To address sediment disasters, Wakayama has taken structural and nonstructural preventive measures, such as sediment control dams and designation of sediment disaster warning areas where warning and evacuation systems must be established and also certain development activities are restricted. However, Wakayama suffered significant damages from Typhoon No. 12 in 2011. The record-breaking heavy rainfall by Typhoon No. 12 caused sediment disasters and river flooding in many places around Wakayama. Consequently, this disaster resulted in the highest deaths of 56, out of the total 82 deaths in all prefectures. Out of 56 deaths, 35 people were victims of sediment disasters. This chapter focuses on sediment disasters in Wakayama from a perspective of disaster risk reduction. It examines current preventive measures against sediment disasters in Wakayama, especially its nonstructural preventive measures, such as designation of warning and special warning areas for sediment-related disasters, which plays vital roles as the land use zoning. It finally identifies issues and challenges on how to improve its current nonstructural measures, based on the lesson learned from Typhoon No. 12 in 2011.

Flood Disaster Mitigation Measures Through Land Use Management in the UK and France

The policy of land use management for natural disaster mitigation has been shared globally as an increased number of natural disasters have occurred. Among them a set of unique systems have been established in England. The characteristics of the English systems are found in their quantitative risk assessment, flexible and process-oriented planning permission, and comprehensive land use control combined with regulations, insurance, risk information disclosure, and indirect intervention by the central government. On the other hand, another unique set of systems in this field have been established and in operation in France for more than 30 years. The characteristics of the French systems are found in its qualitative risk assessment, disaster-prevention-specific planning system independent of the standard city planning system, regulation by practical zoning harmonized with actual land use, and comprehensive land use control combined with different policy instruments and direct intervention by the central government. It is still evolving putting more emphasis on ex ante disaster prevention measures. Although neither the UK nor France has achieved perfect forms of land use management for flood disaster mitigation, every possible policy instrument is employed in their own unique way, and the best management system is being pursued by trial and error.

Land Use Management Along Fault Line: Experiences of New Zealand

New Zealand’s land use management for disaster mitigation is based on the idea of the sustainable management of natural and human resources, and disaster is considered one of the natural environment factors. The current framework was formulated with the enforcement of restructure of the governments, law reform, and privatization of public service, and decentralization of power provides local governments with the authority to implement land use management for disaster mitigation. In this chapter, New Zealand’s land use management for disaster mitigation is analyzed, and issues are discussed from the perspective of legal and administrative framework. It is found out that understanding of natural hazard and risks makes it useful in land use planning and management to control developments.

Land Use Management and Risk Communication

Land use represents a relationship between natural and urban environment. Land use management is the way of managing land use through regulation and control of developments. Land use management tools are used supplementing hard infrastructure developments. In implementation of land use management, risk communication between public, citizens, and private sectors is important to facilitate the understanding of disaster risks and policies.

Land Use Management in Disaster Risk Reduction

Land use has a natural implication, where there are synergies of different ecosystems. However, with human interventions, there are often changes in land pattern, and land use management comes into existence. Several global frameworks like Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement of climate change, and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) have emphasized the importance of incorporating land use planning in development issues, climate change issues, and disaster risk management approaches, respectively. However, the challenge remains in implementing the local level land use planning and management, which needs community ownership and involvement as well as local government’s strict guidelines and monitoring of land regulations.

Land Use Management in Disaster Risk Reduction: An Overview

Land use has a natural implication, where there are synergies of different ecosystems. However, with human interventions, there are often changes in land pattern, and land use management comes into existence. Several global frameworks like Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement of climate change, and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) have emphasized the importance of incorporating land use planning in development issues, climate change issues, and disaster risk management approaches, respectively. However, the challenge remains in implementing the local level land use planning and management, which needs community ownership and involvement as well as local government’s strict guidelines and monitoring of land regulations.

River Basin and Land Use Lessons from Japan: Influences of Changes of Industrial Structure on Land Use of Nagara Basin and Flood Risk Control

Land developments and construction of factories or logistic centers should be implemented with the well-considered land use plans by taking account of disaster risks to improve the resilience of the region to mitigate damages. In this paper, the relationship between regional development and land use is discussed from the perspective of flood risk control. Nagara basin in Gifu Prefecture (Gifu, Mino, and Seki cities), where transportation network has been developed to raise the potential for more development, is selected as a case study site. First, changes of industrial structures of the region and its influences on land use were analyzed. Then, possible flood control measures were summarized, and issues from the land use perspective are analyzed.

Experiences of Japan in Post-Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

It has been 20 years since the occurrence of Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, and infrastructure and buildings have rebuilt with revitalization of the city although Kobe, Hyogo, has recovered completely. In spite that there were damages to agricultural and fishery villages, most of the damages occurred in the city areas; thus, Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake is said to be an urban disaster. The recovery of Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was called creative recovery, which means not only to recover the city as it was but to rebuild Kobe as the leading city of the twenty-first century. The recovery of the town has been achieved by city planning measure, such as land readjustment projects, urban redevelopment projects, and district plan. The damaged areas of Kobe have been reformed to be resilient against disasters by widening streets and roads and laying out open space or parks.

Land Use Change Implications on Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in Vietnam

Ba Ria-Vung Tau province is one of coastal areas in the southern of Vietnam with over 300 km coastline. The province is also one of the most socially and economically developing provinces. Its GDP per capita in 2010 was 5872 US