Design Aspects of Urban Wetlands in an Earthquake-Prone Environment

Abstract

Open-space networks in cities in disaster-prone environments can be designed to facilitate recovery. This study explores residents' perceptions of urban wetlands in earthquake-prone Concepción, Chile. Two scenarios were posed, one representing everyday life and a second representing life after an earthquake, in which wetlands were perceived in terms of their utility. Multivariate data analysis revealed the residents' cognitive structure underlying perception of the wetlands in each scenario. The cognitive structures, comprising objective biophysical attributes related to subjective utilitarian attributes, varied with context. These findings can inform the design of open space in disaster-prone cities to ensure their resilience.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms Daniela García Letelier for her contribution during the data collection process.

Additional information

Funding

The work of Paula Villagra-Islas was supported by the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica [grant number CONICYT–Fondecyt N.11110297].