Earthquake Rehabilitation And Vulnerability Reduction: Urban Planning In A Western Indian Town

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes recovery efforts in the town of Bhuj in the State of Gujarat in western India after a devastating earthquake of magnitude Mw 7.7 on January 26, 2001. It provides a nuanced description of the technical, administrative, and political complexities associated with long-term recovery, specifically those related to post-disaster planning and the reconstruction of public infrastructure and private homes. The dissertation explores how post-disaster interventions that focus on physical rebuilding interact with existing patterns of vulnerability to influence the recovery of affected populations, especially the most socially and economically marginalized. The inherently political nature of the urban planning process, compounded in this case by systemic administrative vulnerabilities (lack of resources, previous unregulated growth, lax enforcement of building regulations, and dated records some of which were lost in the earthquake), complicated the process of rehabilitating a badly damaged town. At the same time, an event as momentous as an earthquake offered an opportunity for renewal that would not have taken place otherwise. In Bhuj, where the urban rehabilitation program heavily emphasized infrastructure iii development and the reconstruction of houses, long-term disaster management relied on several regulatory mechanisms: a Development Plan (DP), Town Planning Schemes (TPSs), Development Control Regulations (DCR), and building codes to reduce vulnerability in case of future incidents. These governmental efforts were accompanied by the creation of new institutions for short-term rehabilitation, longterm urban planning, and land management. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the city of Bhuj was able to transform its dense, medieval urban core into a disasterresistant center city with modern amenities. Bhuj's transformation is one of the focal points of this study. The dissertation considers the complexities of disaster recovery-its humanitarian aspects, the resiliencies of affected populations, and pressure to produce results in a short time span. It explores how policies and plans formulated at higher levels of government were made to work in Bhuj, where those who lacked resources required socio-technical support. The analysis aims to understand both the challenges and the opportunities in urban planning initiatives for long-term disaster recovery. iv