Reconstructing Kobe: The Geography of Crisis and Opportunity

Six thousand people died and hundreds of thousands lost their homes when an earthquake hit Kobe in January 1995. The Hanshin Earthquake was the largest disaster to affect postwar Japan and one of the most destructive postwar natural disasters to strike a developed country. Although the media focused on the disaster's immediate effects, the long-term reconstruction efforts have gone largely unexplored. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, David Edgington records the first ten years of reconstruction and recovery and asks whether planners successfully exploited opportunities to make a more sustainable and disaster-proof city. This intricate investigation of one of the largest redevelopment projects in recent memory is essential reading for urban planners and policy makers, and anyone interested in Japanese urban and planning history.