NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Urban Disaster Recovery: A Framework and Simulation Model.
- File
- PB2004104388.pdf
- Author(s)
- Miles, S. B.; Chang, S. E.
- Source
- National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA.; Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, Buffalo, NY., July 25, 2003, 126 p.
- Abstract
- The study described in this report focuses on developing an educational tool for illustrating concepts of community recovery, and identifying data collection and research needs for more refined recovery models in the future. A conceptual framework of disaster recovery, guided by insights from the empirical literature, is introduced. The resulting model focuses on simulating recovery processes, rather than on estimating dollar losses. It emphasizes the dynamic or temporal processes of recovery; simulates impacts at the individual agent level of analysis; relates recovery across business, household, and lifeline infrastructure sectors; relates recovery across individual, neighborhood, and community scales of analysis; highlights the key role of lifeline systems in recovery; and is designed to explore the complex consequences of mitigation, planning, and policy decisions. The model was applied to both a hypothetical community and to an area affected by a real earthquake, Kobe, Japan, and it was able to replicate broad trends from the disaster. The next step in this research is to formalize the insights obtained in the development and application of this model as recommendations for future research and development.
- Keywords
- ; Literature review; Sensitivity analysis; Emergency planning; Computerized simulation; Prototypes; Disasters; Disaster recovery; Urban areas; Socioeconomics; Management; Decision making; Earthquakes