Relationship between the organizational structure in implementing Post-Disaster Housing reconstruction and outcome characteristics: A study on urban dujiangyan after the Wenchuan Earthquake

Abstract

Many works of literature have agreed that the centralized reconstruction mechanism of China could guarantee an efficient reconstructive enforcement. However, many have also speculated that it might disrupt the involvement of the local parties during its implementation, and have adverse effects on the affected area, especially in the field of housing. However, there is currently limited knowledge on the implementation process of housing reconstruction and its effect on the affected localities. This research conducted an empirical study on Dujiangyan City after the Wenchuan Earthquake. It identified the organizational structure of the involved stakeholders, evaluated the implementation outcomes of respective stakeholders, identified the characteristics of the housing outcomes, and indicated the preferences and limitations of the participating stakeholders. The results indicated that the Chinese top-down housing reconstruction was not inevitably carried out as speculated in the literature. The local government was still a leading force. Its mobilization of local and external stakeholders significantly contributed to providing diverse resettlement options for the affected population. However, the housing outcomes revealed an imbalanced spatial distribution and concentrated on the new urban area. Such characteristics could be attributed to the reconstruction plan that emphasized peri-urban development on a large scale and the organizational method that constrained the stakeholder's participation in all urban areas. Hence, implications are given for the betterment of housing reconstruction in China: a more compact reconstruction plan that adopts cautious renovation to the original urban structure, and sufficient coordination between all stakeholders in the full process of housing reconstruction.