This project will investigate the role of local government redevelopment agencies in planning and financing reconstruction after earthquakes. Redevelopment is a process used by local governments to plan, develop, redesign, clear, reconstruct or rehabilitate urban areas deemed blighted for many reasons, which may include the impacts of disaster. The study will consist of fifteen structured case studies of the use of redevelopment following past earthquakes. Sources of data for the study will include existing accounts and interviews with local officials. Information from the case studies will be assembled in matrices to allow for comparisons among the cases. The study will also explore how redevelopment has been used after other disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes in order to capture lessons applicable to post-earthquake reconstruction and assess the usefulness of the approach in rebuilding after other disasters.
