The Critical Role of Open Space in Earthquake Recovery: A Case Study

Abstract

Recovery planning theory and normative urban design theories have a common interest in providing for the health and safety of urban communities. However the requirements of safe refuge and recovery in times of emergency are sometimes at odds with the needs of liveable cities. The concept of urban resilience provides a way of designing for the adaptability of cities while still accommodating everyday use. The paper overlays theories of urban design, recovery planning and urban resilience, examining their common ground through an analysis of the earthquake event of 1906 in San Francisco, its morphological analysis and first hand reports of its survivors. It proposes that the key to the successful integration of recovery planning and urban design lies in a shift of thinking that sees a city's open spaces as a 'second city': a network of open space designed not only to contribute significantly to the quality everyday urban life, but with the latent capacity to act as essential life support and an agent of recovery in the event of an earthquake.