●Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM

Reconstructing homes in disaster regions:challenges and support
OTAKE Ryo
Director of the Housing Department(Keywords) Great East Japan Earthquake, housing reconstruction, disaster recovery public housing,regional reconstruction housing
1. Damage to housing by the Great East JapanEarthquake
Many homes were damaged by the Great East JapanEarthquake. More than 120,000 homes including those
washed away by the tsunami were completely
destroyed, while about 370,000 were partly damaged.
Many victims have been forced to live in evacuation
centers, but the construction of emergency temporary
homes began promptly, and combined with the rentingof private dwellings and provision of public housing, a
total of about 140,000 emergency homes have been
provided. This is different to past disasters; in addition
to prefabricated homes, temporary wooden homes
have been constructed by local companies, temporary
rental homes have been used extensively, and many
people are living in temporary homes outside theirhome prefecture. The reconstruction of durable homes
will remain a significant challenge.
In Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures, guidelines andplans for the reconstruction of homes have alreadybeen presented (in Fukushima Prefecture, these werebeing drawn up when this report was being prepared):the Basic Guideline for the Reconstruction of Homes
in Iwate Prefecture of October 2011 calls for thesupply or repair of 16,000 to 18,000 homes, and theMiyagi Prefecture Housing Reconstruction Plan ofDecember 2011 calls for 72,000 homes.
2. Challenges to reconstruction of housing
The Great East Japan Earthquake has created anumber of different challenges for housing
reconstruction compared with past disasters, due todifferent historical circumstances. Examples include
the massive and widespread scale of damage, and thefact that many of the disaster regions face harshgeographical, economic and social conditions.
[1] Ensuring safety: The construction and location of
housing must ensure safety from tsunami.
[2] High volume supply: Necessary land andproduction systems must be obtained under
topographical and other restrictions.
[3] Convenient living: Housing must have all thefunctions
neededtoform
sustainablecommunities.
[4] Consideration for the elderly: Facilities for daily
life are required because communities have aged
remarkably.

[5] Harmony with the environment: The region has arich natural environment, and restrictions onenergy must be dealt with.
[6] Maintaining the history and culture of the region:
Homes are part of a region’s culture, so memories
engraved in the region must be preserved.
[7] Guaranteeing employment: Many places ofemployment were damaged; jobs near residential
districts are needed.
[8] Procuring funds: Assistance for rebuilding houses
is needed for people with insufficient resources.
[9] Shortness of time: If reconstruction is delayed,
people will continue to live in temporary housing,which may hinder recovery of the population.
To overcome these challenges, housing plans andproduction methods must be linked with town
planning to prioritize contribution to regional
economies and community-building.
The Government’s Basic Guideline to Recovery
from the Great East Japan Earthquake (August 2011)
includes the following guidelines (abridged) to ensure
the stability of housing for disaster victims.
• By planning for entire regions, support shall begiven to guarantee durable housing whileconsidering continuing and ensuring employment
and guaranteeing living facilities needed by theelderly.
• For disaster victims who do not have the money toreconstruct or buy homes, systems such as disasterrecovery public housing leased at low rents shall be
improved and used, and their supply shall beincreased.
• Housing integrated with community functions andwith service functions for elderly people, etc. shallbe provided so that the elderly and other occupants
can easily obtain local assistance and rebuild theirlives.
• Regarding disaster recovery public housing, inregions at low risk of tsunami, wooden construction
shall be promoted, and on flat land, these shall
include tsunami evacuation functions.
Housing reconstruction not only helps the people
living in a disaster region but also stimulates economic
activities including the flow of materials and jobs. If
housing restoration can be linked with medical care,welfare and support for daily life, etc. for elderly
people, who cannot easily reconstruct their homes

●Messages from Departments and Centers of NILIM
with their own resources, and if housing production
can be based on local employment using local
materials and housing companies, such a region may
become a model for a sustainable lifestyle in regions
where the population is shrinking, society is aging,and the birthrate is declining. The National Institutefor Land and Infrastructure Management is therefore
using its knowledge and research on housing policies
and reconstruction after past disasters to provide
technical support for housing reconstruction. Major
initiatives are introduced below.
3. Survey of disaster recovery public housing
Disaster recovery public housing, which plays a keyrole in ensuring housing, must be supplied promptly
and efficiently while ensuring stable housing forvictims and responding appropriately to regional needs.
Under the Great East Japan Earthquake Restoration
Special District Law, organizations have been
expanded by, for example, enacting special measuresconcerning occupancy qualifications and handling thetransfer of property; 4,000 and 5,000 homes areplanned for Iwate Prefecture and another 12,000
homes are planned for Miyagi Prefecture.
To help provide disaster recovery public housing,the Urban Renaissance Agency (UR) took theinitiative under a basic agreement signed with someregional governments which met the necessary
conditions, and started the Study of Disaster Recovery
Public Housing Planning and Supply Methods inDecember 2011, commissioned by the Housing
Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism based on the third
supplementary budget of FY2011. This investigation
included the concepts and standard designs forhousing provision, and the results will be distributed
to many regional government bodies in the disasterregions.
The investigation was done by region and by theme,with the former considering overall supply plans andproposing plans for 33 cities, towns, and villages incandidate regions (9 in Iwate, 16 in Miyagi, and 8 inFukushima) which wished to be included among those
designated by the Severe Disaster Law. The
investigation by theme summarized matters to beconsidered and specific policies related to disasterprevention and crisis management, regional
stimulation, the environment, and community and theelderly.
The National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement has, in cooperation with the Building
Research Institute, given technical guidance for thestudy by region, summarized proposed plans forhousing estates based on regional characteristics,
wooden single-family dwellings or RC medium- andhigh-rise collective dwellings, according to thecircumstances and wishes of each city, town, orvillage, while exchanging views and conducting fieldsurveys in the three prefectures and 33 cities, towns,and villages. This will help rapidly provide disasterrecovery public housing in the future.
4. Regional restoration housing initiatives
To support housing reconstruction with theresources of the victims and to help create jobs andstimulate industry in the regions while considering themass construction of housing in future, a system forproducing good-quality low-rent wooden housing
using local materials must be established with thecooperation of local housing producers. Therefore, theRegional Restoration Housing Liaison Committee
formed jointly by the public and private sectors wasestablished in September 2011. Its members comefrom various fields including local government(housing, forestry), design, construction, materials,lumber, and so on from the three prefectures in thedisaster region, with staff of the National Institute forLand and Infrastructure Management participating as
academic experts to provide technical guidance andoverall project planning.
The study results were compiled as the Regional
Restoration Housing Design and Production System
Guideline in December 2011, and sample common
specifications and model designs were proposed foreach prefecture in line with the six guiding concepts
of: long-term use, future growth, environmental
protection, low price, suitability with the region, andmeeting demand. Based on the guideline, groups
consisting of carpentry and building contractors’offices, design offices, forestry companies, and lumber
mill operators will be formed to handle production andsupply. To ensure practical development, the Liaison
Committee was reorganized as the Regional
Restoration
Housing
Promotion
ConsultativeCommittee in February 2012. In the future, theConsultative Committee is expected to reconstruct
suitable local housing by beginning practical work inline with various administrative policies.
References
National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Managementand Building Research Institute: Report on Survey Researchon the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, March 2012.