Reconstruction Plans and Planning Process After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami - Post-Tsunami Hazard: Reconstruction and Restoration - page 22

indifference of the local government towards the residents, who feel abandoned,
since it gives information or expenses man power and money only through concrete
reconstruction projects.
Although it is diffi cult to plan and implement large scale projects in those areas,
there is an urgent need for the improvement of the district through implementation
of small scale structural projects, such as small residential district improvement
project based on Building Standard Law, or non-structural projects, such as evacu-
ation drill and promotion of community activities.

2.5 Time Sequence and Planning

2.5.1 Attention to the “Past” in the Planning Process

Most of the buildings in these urban and rural areas were washed out by the tsunami
or demolished afterward. Many of the Kura storehouses could have been conserved,
but were demolished because of the high cost of reconstruction and maintenance.
Even in such a situation, however, there are still many structural and non-structural
infrastructures that should be saved. Considering the history and characteristics of
the area, it is important to preserve these facilities for the future generations.
Roads are an example of such type of infrastructure. Particularly in the areas
where land readjustment is planned, it could be a good option to preserve the path-
way and width of the roads in order to maintain the original landscape. Otherwise,
the new road network will be planned as a grid-like structure typical of a new sub-
urban, residential area.
On the other hand, not everything should be restored as it used to be before the
disaster. In fact, one possible reason for the decline of the settlements might have
been the irregular form of the sites and the narrow roads, which were inconvenient
for car users. In such cases, preserving the old style may not be attractive features of
the district and may accelerate the decline of the area.
Hence, every infrastructure should be carefully evaluated to determine what
should be preserved and what to be changed.
In the present situation, however, new reconstruction is often preferred to restoration
of old infrastructures, leading to standardized settlements with limited features.
In the case of Kadonowaki district in Ishinomaki city (Fig. 2.4 ), local government
plan attempted, within a certain degree, to preserve the old confi guration of the streets
(Fig. 2.5 ).
However, a long time will be required by authorities to investigate the area and
for the local residents to understand the characteristics of the area and importance
of it. Therefore, this way of elaborate planning is hardly compatible with the needs
of a prompt recovery planning process in order to measure up to the expectations of
the people affected by the disaster.