As a major city, Tokyo faces one of the highest disaster risks in the world with a 70% probability of being struck by a major earthquake in the next 30 years. In pre-modern Japan, disasters were accepted as a force outside of out control, and subsequently residents had a high level of awareness of disaster risk. Today, with emergency management agencies established and large engineering projects in place, catastrophes are seen as manageable by experts and authorities, leading to disengagement of citizens with their own resilience.

Associate Professor Christian Dimmer joins the show to discuss this challenge, in light of the 15 year anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Christian discusses the concept of a ‘quadruple disaster’, which includes demographic challenges alongside the immediate impacts of the earthquake and tsunami. Christian emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical context of disasters in Japan, the shift in disaster response culture, and the need for community engagement in disaster preparedness and recovery.

Christian is an Associate Professor for Urban Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo. He has a background in urban planning, disaster recovery and community resilience. He earned his PhD in Urban Engineering from The University of Tokyo and has served on the faculties of both the University of Tokyo and Waseda, teaching courses in transition design, sustainable urbanism and theories of public space. Christian is also a co-founder of the Tohoku Planning Forum and the Tokyo chapter of the design-led disaster response organisation Architecture for Humanity, where he has worked to connect civil society, professionals and communities in rebuilding after major disasters.

Links:
Journal article by Christian Dimmer: Tokyo’s Perpetual Resilience Project: Between Local Knowledges and Universal Modernist Concepts