Toward More Sustainable & Resilient Cities
Understanding earthquake risk, hazard, and the future of urban planning and design
Few phenomena fascinate and terrify people like earthquakes. Although most earthquakes are small and happen frequently all around the world, cautionary tales from Chile, Alaska, California, Indonesia, and Ecuador prove their crippling power.
Earthquakes are not only deadly but wreak havoc on economies and infrastructure that can take decades or longer to overcome. Japan's 2011 Tōhoku earthquake took nearly 20,000 lives, leveled 120,000 buildings, and damaged or half-destroyed a million more. It ranks as the most expensive natural disaster in modern history at an estimated $250 billion. Recovery efforts have been extensive over the past 10 years and continue.
Preparing for large, potentially devastating events in prone regions is top-of-mind for stakeholders ranging from city planners to first responders, building owners, contractors, insurers, engineers, and legal professionals. But what about events that debilitate regions where earthquakes have been rare — and therefore unexpected and unplanned for? What level of threat do small or moderate earthquakes really pose?
