COMPLETION REPORTThe Conservation of Historic Town and Disaster Risk Reduction: Lessons Learned fromthe Japanese ‘Denkenchiku’ System to Improve Disaster Preparedness by Local
Communities in Thailand
Nattasit Srinurak
Researcher
Head of UDE CenterChiang Mai University
In Asia culture, most of the historic area is a living settlement. According to the development of theUNESCO`s world heritage convention, since Burra charter adopted in 1979 and periodically updated topractice the heritage management under ICOMOS and UNESCO member countries. The managementthat focuses on the factors affecting the heritage properties is increasing.
In disaster prevention, Thailand has the authority to perform the disaster-related as Department ofDisaster Prevention and Mitigation under the Ministry of Interior. The national agency that distributes aduty according to the provincial office. The centralization of this authority is, somehow, necessary to
rapid response according to the higher level of disaster. Even this resource and determination are highly
efficient in disaster response time, though it may lack a lot of opportunity for local knowledge as input
resources during disaster preparedness processes. Overlooked local administration authority may cause
the lostness of cumulative knowledge that copes with the future disaster.
Heritage conservation with disaster prevention measure. As Denkenchiku, in Japan, it combines withnational regulation and committees, it presents an opportunity for the local historic area to be preserved
along with local knowledge coping with its contextual disaster. The ideology of Denken contains
regulated historic areas to enact and imply with modern disaster prevention that historic buildings must
follow the law. To determine as a historic building in Denken area, the historic building (old, renovatedor new) will ease the regulation of disaster prevention in term of material/ setback/ void, etc. but it must
increase the measurement of disaster prevention more than a typical building, for example from thisstudy, to use some fire distinguish infrastructure to control the fire spreading from the historic building,the contingency evacuation plan in the area.
In Hizen-Hama, it contains two areas of preservation consist of a fishermen village and commercial
streetscape. Street network is complicated and narrow as well as Chiang Mai’s. They have the regulationand practice of disaster prevention to strengthen the historic building's tolerance as modern buildings.
Moreover, the supportive measure such as community surveillance group or tax subsidies of newbuildings, these Denken measurements is the best practice to support the main subject of conservation insustainable senses.
Chiang Mai as a world heritage nomination preparation process, in nomination guideline of world
heritage convention, suggested the site to clarify the threat of heritage in various aspects. The direct andindirect impact of new development only controlled and regulated by zoning ordinance at the nationaland local levels. The overlay zoning with `Denken` concept is highly proper for regulated in Chiang Mai
especially in the intense historic area that needed to protect streetscape (Main Axis of Chiang Mai historiccity that links mountain and city together). The detail of Repair, Enhancement, and Disaster prevention
will be the priority of preparation and conform to the operational guidelines proposed system byUNESCO.

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
Date, Venue and Conference are still under consideration due the postponement of conferences caused
by COVID19, Title: Survive through the heritage: Reinvention of historic city`s water element to support
community-based disaster risk management., Presenter: Nattasit Srinurak, Janjira Sukwai, Nobuo
Mishima
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)

Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
Publisher: Social Research Institute, Date: under reviewing process, Title: The conservation of historic
town and disaster risk reduction, Author: Nattasit Srinurak, Janjira Sukwai.