Evaluation of an Urban Ecological Planning Study for the City of Nishinomiya, in the aftermath of the Great Hanshin Earthquake

Abstract

The writer represented the Nishinomiya Study Group, from the Environmental Planning Course, in the Art Department of Osaka University of Arts. The study group carried out an urban ecological planning study for Nishinomiya City, from 1981 through 1982. Various techniques are available for urban ecological planning. For the study, natural and social conditions in Nishinomiya City were combined and catalogued on the same reduced scale. Applying the overlay method and results from questionnaires completed by residents, the study group prepared an urban ecological plan. Ultimately the study produced a basic plan, and proposals for city measures necessary for carrying it out.This paper assesses the original study and proposals, against damage sustained in the Great Hanshin Earthquake. It examines, at an urban level, the effectiveness of the ecological plan. It also attempts to define other related issues that arose in the wake of the earthquake. Results of the evaluation showed a close correlation between districts assessed lowly in the ecological planning study, and those districts containing destroyed wooden frame dwellings. Further, the highly assessed Nigawa district suffered landslide damage. This evaluation clarified the need for reexamination of safety assessment standards.