How does the housing recovery and relocation process disconnect or reconnect neighborhood associations in disaster public housing? A mixed-method study of a tsunami-impacted city in Japan

Abstract

Disaster public housing (DPH) plays a major role in housing recovery by providing housing options for those who have suffered losses. Previous studies have pointed out that relocation to a developed DPH causes mental illness and social disconnection among relocators from other neighborhoods. Based on these findings, national and local governments have stipulated the mixed use of private and public housing on new relocation sites and encouraged the (re)organization of neighborhood voluntary civic associations (NVCA) in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. This study aims to identify the characteristics of the DPH development process that lead to the presence or absence of NVCAs in DPH in Japan. A quantitative and qualitative mixed-method design was employed. A questionnaire survey was administered to all households (N = 23,611, n = 4372 responses, 4146 valid, 17.7%) in Kesennuma City, with particular attention paid to DPH residents regarding variables such as relocation distance, moving experience, years of residence in the city, and place attachment. Quantitative results and regression analysis indicate stronger place attachment and more years of residence in the city among short-distance than long-distance relocation residents. Moreover, there is a mechanism of non-organizing NVCA due to the outflow of young generations in DPH. The root causes of the bifurcation point between the presence or absence of organized NVCAs in DPH were found to include relocation distance, co-residence with diverse newcomers from around the city, and the separation of DPH from private recovery housing within a residential complex.