Abstract
This paper describes the large-scale post-World War II urban development and the counter-measures planned for environmental protection and disaster prevention in the municipality of Kobe. The following is the summary.
1. The urban development has progressed with rapidity since the 1960's.
2. The large-scale development was initially concentrated in piedmont areas near the central section of the city but has been gradually expanded to remote mountaineous areas, mountain tops and hill areas.
3. The acreage of development per development program was approximately 20 ha in the beginning but has been gradually enlarged to above 50 to 60 ha.
4. Public undertaking predominates in the development.
5. This large-scale development was purposed to obtain rock and soil required for the reclamation of land along the coastal area, because of the solution of deficiency of flat land areas in Kobe City and also of the prevention of mountain slope slide disaster.
6. The reclaimed land was intended for enlargement of port facilities, public utility, industrial and residential areas.
7. Various countermeasures for environmental protection and disaster prevention have been studied in planning the civil engineering works for this large-scale development program The details are itemized as follows:
1) the suitability of a place getting of rock and soil used for the waterfront reclamation and the conservation of landscape
2) methods of cutting mountains
3) transportation methods of rock and soil
4) prevention of sediment transport due to heavy rainfalls during and after cutting works
5) flood control systems
6) slope stability
7) prevention of changes in the wind system
8) assessment of changes of ground-water flows by reclamation works
9) the others
