Community Relocation Research Articles

Loss of sense of belonging in school communities relocated from riverside areas in the Amazon

The feeling of belonging is related to the perception and sensation of being part of something greater, such as a community, a family, a group, or a nation. The present research aimed to analyze whether research participants provide information that could lead to an understanding of the loss of a sense of belonging due to community relocation. The research was methodologically structured as qualitative and descriptive research, as it sought to understand the community's loss of a sense of belonging. The results were obtained through the application of semi-structured interviews in a formative study, revealing that the relocation of the school within the community generated a sense of emotional disconnection and identification with the environment among the people. It is indeed a fact that when someone experiences a sense of belonging, they typically feel integrated, accepted, and valued. Content analysis was conducted based on the results, and the conclusions indicated the loss of a sense of belonging among the interviewees regarding the relocation of the community from the banks of the Madeira River, due to the construction of a hydroelectric plant.

Housing recovery and community relocation: Lessons learned from indigenous community recovery after typhoon Morakot in Taiwan

Modern states have been concerned with helping Indigenous communities recover after disasters, often through relocation, to prevent future disasters. However, such strategies are often fraught with difficulty and challenges. This study uses qualitative and quantitative data collected over a decade after Typhoon Morakot to analyze how the Han-People-dominated Taiwanese government assisted Indigenous communities in off-site disaster recovery. According to this study, post-disaster recovery programs had to be implemented speedily and comprehensively within the constraints of time and institutions, resulting in a lack of Indigenous participation and difficulty meeting the recovery needs of Indigenous communities in various ways. Notwithstanding Indigenous communities’ use of social capital to fight for and secure external resources. In early stages, Indigenous communities protested government policies through internal community bonding, bridging among affected Indigenous communities, and linking with national NGOs to raise awareness regarding recovery issues. In later stages, the government collaborated with communities that were relocated to address recovery issues. However, if relocation sites and housing options are already determined, only partial improvements can be made without resolving the primary problems of livelihood and cultural preservation. This situation calls for the promotion of pre-impact recovery planning in Indigenous communities at risk of disasters.

Service Quality (Servqual) Toward Rawa Bebek’s Rusunawa Residents in Dki Jakarta

Bukit Duri community relocation process and Fish Market to Rawa Bebek Rusunawa until now many problems arise. Resettled communities with forced then stay in Rusunawa was difficult to find a job to sustain life. Services pro- vided Rusunawa Rawa Bebek Unit business is still far from adequate. This issue is interesting to study. The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of service to the residents of Rawa Bebek Rusunawa and find and implement a service model that is suitable for occupants Rusunawa. Knives analysis Rawa Bebek Rusunawa service quality using measures: 1). Convenience; 2). Reliability; 3) Personal Attention; 4). Citizen Influence; 5). Fairness; 6). Problem-Solving Approach; 7). Fiscal Responsibility, and 8). Security. While Methods used are Descriptive methods with a qualitative approach. Interviews conducted in data collection. Data Analysis Techniques 3 tolls are done using Data Analysis NVivo 12 plus consisting of Crosstab Query, Cluster Analysis, Matric Coding Query, and Clustered Similarity. Results and Findings, Ser- vice UPRS, or Jakarta to the residents of Rawa Bebek Rusunawa not good, which got only 17% of the ratings high. The second discovery, Model Service to Residents Rusunawa composed after Ratings Service Quality. Furthermore, the model applied to the services found doing Rusunawa Assistance to Resi- dents of Rawa Bebek. Bank organizations formed eight garbage; occupants have alternative sources of money quickly so that residents feel helpless. Also, there should be capacity building for employees UPRS. Then UPRS, Occupants Rusunawa, and researchers preparing the proposed changes to policies regarding tariffs and elimination of fines rent-subsidized apartment, urban transport through Rusunawa, structuring River East Flood Canal as a tourist attraction water delivered to the Department of Housing and Area Settle- ment of Jakarta as the direct supervisor UPRS. Excellent service for residents reached the Rusunawa.

“Moving or not?”: Factors affecting community responses to environmental disruption

Disputes between government authorities and high-risk communities about community relocation following disasters are not new. Nevertheless, there remains a limited understanding of factors affecting people's decisions about whether to relocate from a hazard zone, particularly in the Indonesian context. Through the experience of the Pelemsari community, a culturally distinct community near Mt. Merapi that once was located less than five km from the volcano crater, this article attempts to explain why the Pelemsari community differed from neighboring communities by abandoning its previous resistance to relocation after an unprecedented eruption in 2010. To explain this behavior change, the study used hermeneutic phenomenology, a methodology rooted in the people-place relationship and specifically used to unfold the meaning structures of a lived experience. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, field observations, and document reviews. The results showed that people's strong place attachment affected residents' decision to uphold unity with their neighbors, select a relocation site that is outside the hazard zone but close to the former location, and engage in collective action that pressured the government to issue legal certificates of their former homes. These results show how a deep understanding of people's place attachment can make it possible to achieve a successful community relocation.

Assessing the effectiveness of adaptation against sea level rise in Japanese coastal areas: protection or relocation?

Sea level rise (SLR) due to climate change poses a serious threat to human populations in coastal areas. As a result, assessing the impacts of SLR and evaluating potential adaptations is essential. This study assesses the impacts of SLR and ocean tides on coastal Japanese prefectures by estimating the extent of potentially inundated areas, affected populations, and economic damages. The latest climate scenarios, tidal data, and shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) are used to estimate the SLR and its inundation effects at a resolution of 1 km. Economic damages are estimated following the methods outlined in the “Manual for economic evaluation of flood control investment (draft).” It was found that all impacts (inundated areas, affected populations, and economic damages) under RCP2.6-SSP1 are significantly smaller than those under RCP8.5-SSP5, suggesting the importance of mitigation efforts. In addition, the study evaluates the cost and effectiveness of protection and relocation adaptations using data on the cost of constructing dikes and the cost of relocating houses and infrastructure. While relocations due to SLR have not yet been undertaken in Japan, the relocation costs could be estimated based on the conventional scheme of community relocation for natural disasters such as life-threatening floods and tsunamis caused by major earthquakes. It was found that the costs of relocation can exceed those of protection under the current framework of Japanese relocation policies.

Erosion and Culture

Erosion and Culture

Adaptability of Low-Income Communities in Postdisaster Relocation

Problem, research strategy, and findings Although community relocation is increasingly a policy option following disasters, research has shown that it often fails to achieve its goals. Few studies of community relocation following disasters, however, have taken a long-term interdisciplinary view of the realities of multiple actors involved in these processes. In this study I qualitatively tracked 6 years of the government-led relocation of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda–affected communities in Tacloban City (Philippines) and recommend dimensions of a planning-centered model of community relocation following disasters. A central finding was that residents’ life concerns transformed over time, from hazard risk reduction to life re-establishment and finally to adaptation. Most relocating residents, whatever their temporary location, continued to embed themselves in their pre-typhoon economic and social networks, which gradually changed over the 6 years. The status of new site development and residents’ livelihood outlook in the relocation sites were the key drivers influencing residents’ perception, which evolved as these conditions changed. Residents strategized to improve life and eventually adapted to the new environment. Takeaway for practice Five dimensions are important for policymakers and planners. First, as a premise, relocating residents change their minds over time. Simply moving residents away from hazard risks is not enough; their concern is also re-establishing their daily lives. Second, proactively strengthening and using residents’ capacity throughout the relocation process helps them better adapt to new environments. Third, applying some transitional strategy for the community to access socioeconomic networks will reduce relocation stress. Fourth, providing information and support helps residents view relocation positively. Last, planning needs to be an iterative, co-designing process to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

Actual conditions and a planning review of collective relocation site from the view of changes in neighborhood relationships: Focusing on the collective relocation project for disaster prevention in Koizumimachi district, Kesennuma city, Japan

AbstractThis article aims to review a large‐scale collective relocation planning of the Koizumimachi district, which implemented concept of the Radburn housing design to mitigate the environmental transition after the Great East Japan earthquake. Based on actual conditions through 2‐year investigations after resettlement, it demonstrates that residents utilized the relocation site adapting to different issues of the community relocation: continuity of the previous district's neighborhood relationships and constructions of new ones due to integrated multiple districts. On the other hand, there is a mismatch between total housing land design and individual housing reconstructions in point of the correspondence between entrance direction and cul‐de‐sac.

Integrating rural livelihood resilience and sustainability for post-disaster community relocation: a theoretical framework and empirical study

The concepts of resilience and sustainability are becoming popular in disaster planning and management. However, there is an absence of mutual considerations of the two concepts from an integrated perspective to promote post-disaster livelihood, particularly in the relocated rural communities. To fill the research gap, this paper explores the factors and relationships of resilient rural livelihoods (RRL) and sustainable rural livelihoods (SRL) in resettlement communities after a major disaster. Specifically, we construct a theoretical model that integrates resources, strategies, and outcomes of RRL and SRL in the recovery phase. We use a dataset for household-level recovery after the Jiangsu Tornado (2016) in China to validate the theoretical model with a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Results show that government-driven, recovery-concentrated policies of “resilience” may not promote the long-term sustainability of rural household livelihoods because financial capital and institutional participation are negatively associated with the community’s self-reliance for future disaster recovery. The tangible assets are likely to make people more confident in disaster preparedness, while the intangible assets lack such an impact and even make the relocated households concerned about future disasters. For RRL outcomes, financial capital and socio-political capital can enhance the recovery, while human capital and livelihood strategies have negative effects. In addition, natural capital and financial capital positively affect household recovery, but the human capital remains a negative contributor. These findings clearly reveal the general patterns of rural livelihoods in relocated communities after a disaster and provide insights into potential measures to promote sustainable and resilient rural livelihoods.

Planning Theory for Sustainable Community Resettlement and Environmental Transfer in the Context of Natural Disaster and Climate Change

The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 was the first time that a single disaster relocated hundreds of districts, and it was completely unprecedented. Professor Suguru Mori is an expert in the field of helping communities rebuild after natural disasters who is interested in taking lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake in the establishment of community relocation that places emphasis on human rights and ethics. As a bachelor student, Mori experienced the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in 1995, gaining the dual perspective of victim and researcher. This highlighted a disconnect. Mori is based in the Division of Architecture, Hokkaido University, Japan, where he is exploring planned community relocation in the context of large-scale disasters and climate change in the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular focus on Koizumi district in Kesennuma city and looking at both past and future risks. In addition to being a researcher, Mori is an architect and planner and a key approach is Action Research, which integrates research and practice to catalyse transformative change. He also uses approaches from the unique academic field of architectural planning research (APR), which was developed in academic circles of the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) and scientifically examines architecture and its design methods.

Addressing Climate Impacts in Alaska Native Tribes: Legal Barriers for Community Relocation due to Thawing Permafrost and Coastal Erosion

Rural communities is Alaska—predominantly Alaska Native Tribes—are at the forefront of climate change impacts and climate justice concerns in the United States. According to the 2019 Alaska statewide threat assessment report, 29 communities are currently experiencing significant climate change-related erosion. Further, 38 communities faces significant flooding, and 35 have major problems with thawing permafrost. Some Alaska Native communities have explored community relocation to adapt to these impacts. Because federal law does not recognize gradual environmental impacts like thawing permafrost and coastal erosion as disasters, these communities are ineligible for disaster funding and struggling with how to adapt to the very urgent—albeit less immediate—issues that they face.This article analyzes the chalenges of Alaska Native Tribes attempting to access federal assistance for community relocation. While some posit that the federal trust responsibility for Tribal Nations might help leverage federal help with community relocation, the status of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) extinguished almost all claims of aboriginal title and reservations in Alaska. General access to federal disaster funding and programs may be another avenue for assistance; however, the limited definition of "disaster" and overly burdensome requirements for federal programs mean that many Alaska Native communities are left to struggle on their own.In response to these challenges, this article explores possible solutions to help these communities with their relocation efforts. It examines the newly adopted Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure Program as a potential funding opportunity for community relocation efforts, along with programs focused on climate justice. Finally, the article concludes by proposing the expansion of a state role in helping coordinate federal grant programs on behalf of Alaska Native Tribes and the funding of resilience officers by the federal government at regional Alaska Native organizations to navigate requirements for community relocation grant programs.

Impact of Relocation on Cultural Landscape around Reservoir Projects in Sri Lanka: A Case Study on Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project

Sri Lanka is a developing country where hydrology plays an important role in its economic and social growth. Therefore, reservoirs are a principal element of culture and social status of Sri Lankans. Emergence of a reservoir goes along with a community relocation process which eventually causes alterations in the cultural landscape around it. The study discusses about the vast study area of ‘cultural landscape’ and its behavior. This study will mainly identify the existing constraints and tendencies regarding the relocation process in an overall status. Uma Oya multipurpose development project is selected as the exemplary study area considering its visible impacts. This analysis will indicate strategies, theories and methods that can be applied to apprehend the impact of relocation process on the cultural landscape of reservoirs. The research was carried out by conducting the Uma Oya multipurpose development project case study and by defining its cultural landscape and process of relocation. A new theoretical framework is developed in order to assess the set of vulnerable areas of a cultural landscape which are likely to change due to relocation. A questionnaire survey is done in order to assess socio-economic aspects and a GIS data analysis is conducted to analyze the impact on physical aspects. Findings show that the impacts of the cultural landscape fall under both positive and negative categories. It also shows that the previous condition before resettlement and post stages have significant changes, where the previous condition had more socio-economic benefits for the community. These specifically developed theories, areas of assessment and strategies along with the outcomes, can be used for any location with geographical similarities worldwide.
 Keywords: Cultural diffusion theory, Cultural landscape, Relocation, Reservoirs, Socio-economic aspects

Planning for Disaster-Induced Relocation of Communities

Problem, research strategy, and findings Disasters displace millions of people every year. After the disaster, they must decide whether to return to their homes or move elsewhere. Planners and government officials often propose permanent relocation as a response. But relocations disrupt lives and livelihoods of households and communities and are therefore rarely the preferred option of those affected. Nevertheless, relocations happen, and planners often develop relocation policies and plan the move. We examined the dynamics of the relocation process through a conceptual framework consisting of five interrelated elements: 1) the natural science; 2) the risk decision; 3) the community’s relationship to place; 4) the relocation process, land, and money; and 5) the historical, social, and political context. This research draws from analyses of 53 cases of community relocation, including many that we have directly researched or worked on. Here we introduce this framework as a way for planners to systematically approach the task of evaluating and implementing proposed disaster-induced relocations. Takeaway for practice In planning for relocation, planners should work with all stakeholders to evaluate the risks, balance the risks of staying against those of relocation, and consider alternatives to complete relocation. Finally, planners should be astute regarding the broader contexts of relocation proposals.

Pathway of adaptation to community relocation: Prospects and limitations of community-centred planning

This paper explores the long-term recovery process from planning to resettlement in the case of community relocation in the Koizumi district, which implemented relocation programme with a strong initiative of local residents against the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Through interview investigations and using pathway framework which explained the community recovery process as pathway, this study shows that the gradual shift in institutionalisation of local residents progressing the project from for the community to for the project implicitly and inevitably has affected the community's capacity despite the adoption and presence of a community-centred approach in the steps of the recovery efforts. The application of the community-centred approach may frame the relocation planning in consideration of the local community, but there is also a concern that it will inevitably gain authority within the community in the form of public policy. In other words, institutionalisation may not only occur when town planning efforts marginalise the community, but even when community-centring is intended and demonstrated in the planning process. We argue that community-centredness requires better understanding of its limitation so that more practical discussions about its potential can develop.

Public Policy Implementation of the Jakarta Government's Policy: Study of Community Relocation Around the Reservoir

This study aims to understand the Jakarta government's policy in relocating people from the Ria Rio Reservoir and placing them in flats (rusunawa). Based on the research findings that have been done, it is concluded that strict facility restrictions are necessary to prevent the transfer of rental rights from low-income people to the upper class. The existence of a Management Agency is deemed necessary by residents. It is evidenced by the high number of answers residents require of a Management Agency and supported again by the feeling of obedience to the residents' management board. Constraints in the provision of housing on the need side It is difficult to invite low-income people and residents of slums who are generally classified as poor to want to live in apartment units. Performance measurement cannot be done only on a one-year deadline. Performance has been disrupted by past policies that have prevented the achievement of housing development targets (rusunawa) from being fully met. A synergy between regional and central interests is needed. Program handling must be in synergy with other program policies.

The immobility-relocation continuum: Diverse responses to coastal change in a small island state

Rising sea levels and associated coastal hazards will lead to the relocation of some communities away from sites of high exposure. In Fiji, several communities have already initiated relocation, with hundreds more considered in need of future relocation by the Fijian government. Yet, often relocation is viewed as an inevitable response to coastal exposure, whereby an entire community is relocated from one location (of high exposure) to another (of lesser exposure) with the assistance of an external actor, namely the State and donors. Limited research has drawn attention to the heterogenous nature of relocation (and immobility responses), and the factors that shape these diverse processes. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken across seven low-lying communities in Fiji that are facing exposure to coastal erosion, tidal inundation, and storm surges, we highlight different immobility and relocation responses that are being implemented both within and across villages. These responses can be viewed along a continuum, referred to here as the immobility-relocation continuum, and include: voluntary immobility, immobility due to restricted relocation options, incremental relocation, partial relocation, and full community relocation. We identify factors - climatic and environmental, past and current adaptations and mobilities, socio-cultural, land rights and tenure, and institutional – that shape these varied responses. This research underscores the need to expand our thinking regarding how climate-related relocation is conceptualized and implemented in policy and practice toward a nuanced understanding of (im)mobility as a form of adaptation to coastal hazard risks, accounting for diversity in local conditions, preferences, and resources available to communities.

The lost history of managed retreat and community relocation in the United States

Managed retreat refers to the relocation of population or infrastructure to address sea-level rise, climate-driven flood risk, and other threats. One variety of managed retreats involves the wholesale relocation of communities. The focus of retreat and relocation projects is to make the retreating communities more resilient to future losses; add-on benefits may include environmental enhancement and broad potential social goals such as promoting equity. Facing spiraling flooding and other climate-change impacts, the United States has been planning and implementing new retreat projects, but without full awareness of past relocations. This study reviews more than 50 relevant community relocations in U.S. history. These endeavors represent millions of taxpayer dollars and enormous investment of personal effort, leadership, triumph, and frustration by residents. And these case studies represent real-world, context-specific expertise needed to guide future U.S. retreat and relocations efforts. This study reviews U.S. relocation history as a resource for scholars of managed retreat, disaster management professionals, and local stakeholders contemplating retreat.

The Politics of Community Relocation: An Eastern Cree Example

In the fall of 1977 the Nemaska Band held a meeting with representatives of the Grand Council of the Crees (of Quebec), Peat, Marwick & Partners, Daniel Arbour & Associates, DINA, and some other consultants. The meeting was held at the proposed site for the new Nemaska community, and lasted four days. It began with a bear feast and ended with a community plan. In the five years following, much of the plan has been successfully implemented. This case study contrasts with the more typical studies of failure in planning, or failure in implementation. While the study of a success is no excuse for ignoring problems faced by other prople, the Nemaska case can serve a constructive role in identifying the means to success in dealing with goals, obstacles, strategies, and practical steps for development.

Conflict, Population Movement, and Microscale Social Networks in Northern Iroquoian Archaeology

We employ social network analysis of collar decoration on Iroquoian vessels to conduct a multiscalar analysis of signaling practices among ancestral Huron-Wendat communities on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Our analysis focuses on the microscale of the West Duffins Creek community relocation sequence as well as the mesoscale, incorporating several populations to the west. The data demonstrate that network ties were stronger among populations in adjacent drainages as opposed to within drainage-specific sequences, providing evidence for west-to-east population movement, especially as conflict between Wendat and Haudenosaunee populations escalated in the sixteenth century. These results suggest that although coalescence may have initially involved the incorporation of peoples from microscale (local) networks, populations originating among wider mesoscale (subregional) networks contributed to later coalescent communities. These findings challenge previous models of village relocation and settlement aggregation that oversimplified these processes.

Assessing managed flood retreat and community relocation in the Midwest USA

Managed retreat involves the relocation of structures or abandonment of land to manage natural-hazard risk. In the USA, a number of towns have completed or are planning partial or complete relocations. This study focuses on a subset of these towns located in the US Midwest, each relocated out of FEMA designated flood zones to mitigate riverine flooding risk. Past community relocations hold hard-won lessons for future managed retreat projects. Three pragmatic and preliminary metrics were developed here: (1) flood losses avoided, (2) population trends, and (3) trends in home sales prices. Flood-loss modeling shows that community relocation can be cost-effective, reducing economic flood exposure by over 95%. Analysis of population data and residential real-estate sales shows that Midwestern floodplain towns have lagged non- floodplain towns, and homes on mapped floodplains have sold at a discount to non-floodplain homes since at least the early 1990s. Relocation off the floodplain removed the stigma of flooding and quantifiably reenergized those communities. Relocation projects cost more than buyouts without relocation but maintain social bonds and represent a tangible investment in future resilience. Future relocation projects, including retreat from both floodplains and coasts, should draw from the wealth of empirical data and lessons learned from past retreat efforts.