Abstract
In March 2011, a devastating earthquake and tsunamis hit the northeast coast of Japan, causing damage to people and property. By focusing on the social relationships between actors during the reconstruction process, this study aims to clarify how these changes have affected the spatial structure of commercial and residential areas. Rikuzentakata City, the study area, was severely damaged by the tsunamis, and temporary housing and stores were established on the higher ground and in the suburbs, causing transient displacement of the residential and commercial areas. However, during the period of long-term recovery from the disaster, the actors, mainly merchants and the local government, demonstrated resilience by using existing social ties or building new strong ones, and managed to rebuild a new intensive commercial area. On the other hand, residential areas were newly built on the higher ground to avoid the tsunami disaster. At present, the commercial area in the raised ground and the residential area on the higher ground are spatially separated, and the regional structure has become different from that before the disaster.
