Preserving and restoring the physical environment to preserve local identity

Preserving the physical environment that is left and restoring it sensitively is also important in terms of local identity. Town planners should respect the local identities that existed prior to a disaster, when re-building. Reconstructing “space” to its prior state can help survivors reconstruct their own sense of “place”, and mitigate, or avoid, some of the issues of identity loss. Almukhtar (for literature reference see original source document) posits that the preservation of the urban landscape can be a form of resilience and, as such, stakeholders should consider the multiple place-identities of survivors, when redesigning disaster-struck localities.

Cultural Factors: Norms/values, Customs/traditions/rituals, Individual/collective memory, Livelihoods

Hazards: Natural hazards, Man-made non-intentional hazards or emergency situations, Man-made intentional hazards

Disaster Phases: Recovery

Types of Actors Concerned: Local authorities, Non-active citizens, Government

Recommendations:

• Foster social connectedness and the development of a strong sense of community, as these encourage citizens to help each other in disaster situations