Background
In recent years, large-scale natural disasters occur frequently, and the catastrophic event destroyed scenery of the communities. During recovery and reconstruction from the devastating impact, a method, restoring the memory of the area before the disaster, is required to maintain the local lifestyle and culture. Such method has not been well studied because the approach has newly started with the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami (GEJET). "Town of Memories Workshop (TMWS)" is a workshop to craft a pre-disaster local scenery model of the area lost by the disaster. In the workshop, volunteers such as architectural students listen to the memories before the disaster from the victims. Then, volunteers together with participants will express the scenery of the memories heard in the model. The workshop is an example of such a method which was carried out in the afflicted area of the GEJET.
Objective
The purpose of this study is as follows. (a) Through organizing the seven-year transition of the method of the TMWS, to extract what kind of perspectives have been emphasized when implementing the TMWS, and (b) To consider the future direction of the TMWS practice based on the relationship between those perspectives.
Research Method
(1) Based on the various materials (TMWS’s report and photo etc.), authors organized data which have changed method in the TMWS during 7 years practice into a table in chronological order. (2) With reference to the table in (1) etc., we extracted the changes and its intentions and factors in the TMWS method have found in 7 years of practice. (3) We organized each intention and factor (with each change) and extract important perspectives about implementing the TMWS. (4) We considered the future practice of TMWS, through organizing the contradictions between each perspective.
Conclusions
The critical perspectives on the TMWS are [1] Responding to multi-hazard, [2] More restoration of regional space with more residents’ participation, [3] Physiological consideration to residents, [4] Ease of understanding and sharing, [5] Economic efficiency, [6] Technique, and [7] Utilization for town planning. It is difficult to take a balance these perspectives at the same time. In particular, if the TMWS is implemented with an emphasis on the [2], [3], [4] and [5] perspectives in the future, it is likely that doing so will lose other important perspectives. Therefore, it turned out to be important to balance according to the objective and the situation. Also, it is necessary to consider how to resolve such conflicts.
