Understanding the Role of Built Environment Resilience to Natural Disasters: Lessons Learned from the Wenchuan Earthquake

Abstract

This study develops and validates a conceptual model of the role of built environment resilience to natural disasters by conducting an overall case study of the Wenchuan earthquake. This research shows that the enormous losses resulting from the Wenchuan earthquake were largely attributed to failures of built environment, which also severely affected local emergency response and external aid. The significant disparities in dwelling destruction and income between rural and urban dwellers further reveal that socially disadvantaged conditions increase the vulnerability of built environments in rural areas. The lessons learned from Wenchuan earthquake indicate how it is critical to consider both the resilience of built environments to withstand external impacts and the vulnerability to the natural environment by adequate identification and assessment of hazards, proper land use planning, setting of appropriate design codes, application of natural hazard–resistant technologies, and strict construction process management. Fundamentally, creating incentives for equitably allocating resources to mitigate disasters in inland rural communities of developing countries should be a policy emphasis to facilitate sustainable project development.