Are we planning for sustainable disaster recovery? Evaluating recovery plans after the Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract

This article examines local recovery plans that were created in response to the Wenchuan earthquake and then suggests ways that planners can better apply the concept of sustainability to the recovery process. We utilize a plan evaluation protocol to analyze 16 recovery plans in counties and towns that were severely affected by the earthquake. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with public officials and planners, with the qualitative data gleaned from these interviews being used to supplement the plan quality assessment. The results reveal that local recovery plans do not appear to have incorporated sufficiently the concepts of sustainability. We conclude the paper with the following recommendations: emphasizing sustainability as a policy priority during vision and goal development; developing solid databases and planning techniques; designing a diversified set of regulatory- and incentive-based policy tools suitable for local governments; enhancing social and institutional learning; and further integrating multi-level and interagency governmental units.

Keywords:

• Wenchuan earthquake
• disaster recovery
• sustainability
• plan evaluation

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments regarding the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. According to the Notice on Wenchuan earthquake Disaster Boundary Evaluation Results released by Chinese central government, the area most severely affected by the Wenchuan earthquake includes the following 10 county-level localities: Wenchuan, Beichuan, Mianzhu, Shifang, Qingchuan, Miaoxian, Anxian, Dujiangyan, Pingwu, and Pengzhou.

2. “Paired assistance” refers to a program launched by the Chinese government after the Wenchuan earthquake. In this program, each county affected by the earthquake was paired by the central government with a province. The provinces provided the affected counties direct support in the recovery process.

3. An “ecological red line” is a tool which is increasingly used in China to protect natural resources. On land use maps, development is either prohibited or strictly limited within areas surrounded by the ecological red lines.

Additional information

Funding

Research for this article was supported by the National Science Foundation [grant number 1030413].