[O2-24]
Is relocation an effective solution to increased coastal community resilience? Sharing international perspectives

[O2-24-01] Is relocation an effective solution to increased coastal community resilience? Sharing international perspectives

*Kanako Iuchi^1,2, *Robert Olshansky⁵, *Michio Ubaura^3,1, *Wiriya Puntub⁴, *Margaret Arnold⁶, *Paivi Koskinen-Lewis⁶ (1. International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 2. Core Research Cluster of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 3. Department of Architecture and Building Science, Tohoku University, 4. Technical University of Dortmund, 5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 6. World Bank)

Keywords:Relocation, Coastal resilience, Sustainable community

Coastal regions are home to a large and growing population around the world. According to the United Nations (2017), about ten percent (or more than 600 million people) of the world’s population now live in low-lying areas, or land less than 10 meters above sea level. Coastal zones are increasingly occupied by the poor, who settle there seeking access to food, urban infrastructure, and economic systems. Climate change is adding another layer of complexity to coastal communities. Meteorological, geological, and hydrological phenomenon such as hurricanes and tropical cyclones, flood events, earthquakes, and El Nino and La Nina cause hazards such as storm surges, heavy rain, flooding, tsunamis, landslides, and erosion. Together with the growth of disadvantaged coastal populations, various hazards increase coastal vulnerability.

To counter this risk, relocation is considered a critical method for increasing resiliency. However, relocation is known to be disruptive, especially for a community’s social network and economic well-being. Drawing from lessons learned from various efforts, there is an ongoing discussion on how to best implement relocation both pre- and post-disaster with the hope of mitigating future devastation. This session shares lessons learned, on various policies and its diverse impacts on communities. Presenters will share key findings that are critical when considering community relocation, focusing on cases from Puerto Rico (Caribbean), Leyte (the Philippines), and Tohoku (Japan) as well as policy findings from a cross-country analysis targeting different regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Europe.