Does a low water bridge enhance place attachment and disaster preparedness among neighborhood residents?

A case study in Kozuya Bridge, Kizu River, Kyoto, Japan

Abstract

Recently the Japanese government has increasingly promoted disaster preparedness and now stresses system-based, awareness-oriented prevention. Daily life infrastructure which is not necessarily used for disaster reduction purposes or structurally strong could enhance disaster risk awareness among neighborhood residents if it triggers people to think about disasters. In this study, we examined the relationships of recognition of Kozuya Bridge, a famous low water bridge in Kizu River, Kyoto, with river perceptions, place attachment, sense of disaster prevention burden, and disaster prevention awareness and practices. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling using questionnaire data (n = 308) revealed that bridge recognition enhances disaster prevention directly and indirectly through enhanced river perception and place attachment and reduced sense of disaster prevention burden.