Dry Stone Wall Relics as a Part of Cultural Landscapes: A Case Study from the Foot of Mt. Hira Region in Japan

[EN] Shishigaki (wild boar defense walls), as a part of cultural landscapes in Japan, currently faces serious deterioration. The research aims to identify the characteristics of Shishigaki walls in eight villages located at the foot of Mt. Hira and propose conservation strategies. Interpretation of historical documents and cadastral maps, interviews, and measurement surveys were conducted. As a result, about 4,3 km of Shish-igaki relics are confirmed, of a total length up to12,7 km built in the 18th to 19th century. Shishigaki walls were built by local households collaboratively with different drystone masonry techniques. Based on the field surveys, it was found that although up to 91% of Shishigaki walls located within the village territories were demolished, only half of Shishigaki walls in the forest were deconstructed. Loss of functionality as protection fences with the change of land use is considered as the main reason for the demolition of Shish-igaki walls. It is suggested that Shishigaki relics in the forest could be integrated into existing hiking routes and promoted through collaborative map-making with local residents. The authors contest that heritage interpretation rooted in local historical studies and conservation with community involvement could be adopted in the promotion of cultural landscapes worldwide.This research was supported by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature Eco-DRR Project (14200103).Ochiai, C.; Wang, J. (2022). Dry Stone Wall Relics as a Part of Cultural Landscapes: A Case Study from the Foot of Mt. Hira Region in Japan. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 417-424. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1513741742

A Study on the Long-term Spatio-Temporal Changes of Shrinking Cities in China

Urban shrinkage has become a global phenomenon, appearing not only in developed countries but also in China, which is undergoing rapid urbanization. Although numerous studies have investigated the distribution of shrinking cities, most of them analyzed from the population dimension. It is necessary to consider the economic dimension and long-term studies. This study takes all prefecture-level cities in mainland China as the research subject. It addresses three questions: 1) How did the spatio-temporal distribution of shrinking cities change between 2000 and 2020, from the perspectives of demography and economy? 2) What are the types of shrinking cities and their distribution, according to the shrinking dimensions and shrinking period? 3) How does the distribution of shrinking cities vary across different urban contexts, such as city size and urban resources? The results show that more than half of Chinese cities are experiencing permanent resident loss. And population shrinkage is observed before the economic decline. Among shrinking cities, the largest proportion shows shrinkage in the single dimension of the population. Additionally, the number of cities with both shrinkage in population and economy increased significantly after 2015, accounting for 19.7% of all shrinking cities. Moreover, 44.7% of shrinking cities are suffering continuous shrinkage. Furthermore, the proportion of shrinking cities is higher in small and medium-sized cities and resource-based cities. This study describes the evolution of shrinking cities in China and enriches the discussion on urban shrinkage worldwide. The findings can remind urban policymakers and planners of more attention on shrinking cities and planning strategies to cope with urban shrinkage

Changes in Water network Management since the Meiji Era and Issues Regarding Disaster Prevention at the Foot of Mt. Hira in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

In considering Eco-DRR, it is important to use resources and disaster prevention techniques that make the most of the unique ecosystems of each region. The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in the water network and its management methods since the Meiji period in Minamikomatsu, Otsu City, located at the foot of Mt. Hira. Based on a literature survey of maps and documents stored in Minamikomatsu, interviews, and field surveys, a water network map was created for each period, and the changes in the management of the water network and issues related to disaster prevention were analyzed. As a result, we were able to confirm the traditional wisdom and techniques of water use and drainage by controlling water intake. On the other hand, the system of water network management has changed with the development of government, agriculture, tourism, and residential areas, and integrated management has become difficult. In addition, changes in the shape and flow of waterways and their disappearance have impeded and fragmented the flow in downstream areas, creating problems for disaster prevention. In the future, it will be important to secure and regenerate the continuity of water networks for watershed basin water control, and to establish a comprehensive water network management system

A sustainable post-disaster housing development framework for an indigenous Hao-Cha community in Taiwan: considering culture and livelihood in housing extensions

[Purpose] Several post-disaster housing extension and modification studies have indicated that owner-driven modification behavior relates to socio-economic and livelihood factors. This study aims to clarify housing extension patterns and examine the relationships among spatial characteristics, sociocultural factors, livelihood factors and housing extensions. This research also highlights the implications of post-disaster housing design for indigenous communities. [Design/methodology/approach] An indigenous community case study was conducted using a literature review. Moreover, interview surveys and housing measurements were implemented based on purposive sampling to diversify interviewees’ backgrounds and the extent of housing extensions. [Findings] This study confirms that housing extensions are closely related to the number of household members and their associated functions and cultural and livelihood factors that were ignored during the design stage. Furthermore, the housing extension process was confirmed to match households’ economic recovery. A post-disaster housing implementation framework for the indigenous population is proposed. [Research limitations/implications] This research only targeted one indigenous community with a limited number of interviewees and samples because of the connection with households. [Practical implications] The study’s proposed resilience post-disaster housing framework can be used to develop post-disaster housing design guidelines, which can benefit policymaking. The proposed participatory concept can be further adopted in future disaster risk-reduction programs. [Originality/value] This study uniquely focuses on the pre- and post-disaster housing layout and the livelihood of an indigenous community. It offers valuable insights for post-disaster reconstruction planners and practitioners

Spatial composition and building techniques of farmhouses prone to windstorms:a case study in Arakawa Village, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

In Arakawa Village, the strong Hira downslope windstorm blowing from the Hira Mountains toward Lake Biwa, poses a great challenge for timber housing structures, which are prone to deformation. To understand the countermeasures applied in local farmhouses to mitigate the effect of wind attacks, features of historical housing and land lot layouts from the Meiji Era (1868–1912) were studied and interviews with local villagers and craftsmen were conducted. It was found that a significant majority of houses were built along the wind direction, with a closed front façade. Contrariwise, subsidiary structures, such as storage buildings and retirement houses, were placed perpendicularly to the wind direction, forming wind fences to protect the front yards, which served as agricultural workspaces. The features of spatial composition have been explained by local craftsmen as technical countermeasures; according to them, farmhouses were built on an incline of about 3–5 cm into the wind direction to mitigate deformation of timber structure. The study suggests that spatial composition of vernacular farmhouses and building techniques could offer effective strategies for sustainable rural planning and be employed to enhance the wind resistance of modern timber constructions, especially for regions prone to powerful prevailing winds worldwide

Post-displacement community resilience: Considering the contribution of indigenous skills and cultural capital among ethnic minority Vietnamese

Article first published online: 6 MAY 2015Despite an improving regulatory framework and policies governing compensation and resettlement, the majority of the millions displaced worldwide each year by hydropower dam construction continue to experience marginalisation and impoverishment, suggesting that external financial support must be supplemented by strengthened community-based resilience. In order to understand more about the innate resources of displaced rural communities, we applied a community resilience approach to two resettled Co-tu ethnic minority villages in an upland area in central Vietnam to identify their community capitals and their application in improving livelihoods and living conditions. We found that weak human and financial capital constrained the ability of the resettled residents to adopt new livelihoods or migrate to seek employment. Reduced forest and river access also problematised responses to a lack of agricultural land. However, traditionally strong village affinity and social networks were retained. In addition, indigenous skills such as housing construction, honed by a highly mobile traditional lifestyle, allowed residents to construct culturally significant structures like community houses and modify or augment received housing stock. These elements of social and cultural capital eased the process of post-resettlement adaptation. We conclude that governments should reassess current resettlement policies that prioritise financial compensation and should incorporate awareness of the adaptive resilience and limitations fostered by indigenous knowledge and practices in resettlement action plans

Is post-disaster housing reconstruction with participatory method effective to increasing people’s awareness for disaster prevention?

7th International Conference on Building Resilience; Using scientific knowledge to inform policy and practice in disaster risk reduction, ICBR2017, 27 - 29 November 2017, Bangkok, ThailandAfter the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, many organizations supported housing construction in disaster affected areas. Several documents and papers reported that adopting the community participation in the post disaster situation is effective because disaster affected people needed skills to get a job to increase their income. Many organizations adopted the participatory method in their recovery program especially in housing construction because it would increase people’s awareness to the natural disasters and develop their capacity through the working processes. This research aims to evaluate the long-term changes between level of people’s participation in post-disaster housing construction and current level of awareness for the natural disaster. Questionnaire survey was conducted in three areas which were affected by tsunami (Ache) and earthquake (Yogyakarta and Padang) in Indonesia. Ache was devastated by Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, about 31, 000 people were killed in the capital of Banda Ache alone. Yogyakarta was hit by earthquake in 2006, and over 5, 000 people were killed and 95% housing was collapsed in the community located near the epicenter. Padang was affected by earthquake in 2009, and 1, 100 people were reported to be killed or missing. Total of 504 samples were collected (Ache 170, Yogyakarta 155 and Padang 179), we have compared three areas to understand the relationship with ‘participation’ and ‘awareness’. This research findings will be useful to the housing reconstruction planning such as how to increase people’s awareness and how we can approach to people’s action for the future. We believe the possibility of participatory method for recovery phase, but long-term evaluation will reveal undiscussed issues, and it will give us a hint to improve more effective support for the people