This book focuses on building regional resilience by comprehensively improving regional assets. Regional vulnerability depends on the availability of regional assets for the population, as well as the population's ability to access those assets. Such assets include the environment, population size, community, and human capital, as well as traditional physical infrastructure. Identifying and improving these regional assets, which provide resource flows to help cope with regional disruptions-natural disasters, economic crises, or demographic changes- serves to mitigate vulnerability and build resiliency.

The book pursues an interdisciplinary approach to investigating regional resilience, bringing together welfare and environmental economics, public administration, risk and disaster management, policy studies, development studies, and landscape architecture. Up-to-date case studies are provided, including recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake in Japan, regional development for depopulation areas, and urban policy for smart cities. These studies reflect and share the latest findings on key issues, policymaking and implementation processes, and implications for evaluation methodologies-all of which are indispensable to the building of resilient regions.

This book is highly recommended for researchers and practitioners seeking a fresh, interdisciplinary approach to regional and urban development. It provides a valuable reference guide to building resiliency and mitigating vulnerability, both of which are imperative to achieving sustainable regions.

Autorentext
Chisato Asahi,  Division of Urban Policy, Tokyo Metropolitan University

Inhalt

Part 1: From Vulnerable to Resilient: a Framework for Regional Context.- Sustainability and Vulnerability: Well-Being in the Geo-, Eco- and Socio-Environment.- Building Resilience for Vulnerability.- Part 2: Case Study and Issues.- Sustainable Activities for Rural Development.- Small Activities to Transmit Environmental and Cultural Resources: The Case of the Takasegawa River in Kyoto.- Management of depopulated areas viewed as concept of GES-environment: The case of Kumogahata in Kyoto.- Resident's Awareness about Inheritance of Greenery in Gardens.- Part 3: Design and Policy for a Resilient Regional System.- Types of Social Enterprises and Various Social Problems.- Overviews of waste management policies in Japan.- Methods of Environmental Risk Management for Land Contamination Problems:Suggestions for Japan.- The Role of Parks in the Inheritance of Regional Memories of Disasters.- Measuring the Public Supply of Private Hedges for Disaster Prevention.- Part 4: Evaluation of Regional Vulnerability and Resilience.- Environmental Valuation Considering Dual Aspects of an Urban Waterside Area.- Economic evaluation of risk premium of social overhead capital in consideration of the decision-making process under risk.- A Study of Nishihara Village's Disaster Response in the Kumamoto Earthquake and the Disaster Victims' Perception of Life Recovery and Assessment of Health.- Smart Cities for Recovery and Reconstruction in the Aftermath of a Disaster.