Disaster recovery and place-led development through comprehensive urban design

On the night of 27 February 2010, at 3:34 am, Chileans were gently sleeping in their homes, when suddenly everything was shattered by tremors and destruction, all leading toward a human tragedy. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country, toppling buildings and driving thousands first into the streets and later to emergency shelters. The earthquake, the sixth largest ever recorded, triggered the second largest tsunami in the country´s history, which ripped houses off their footings, wiped out the urban fabric and turned buildings into debris, leaving behind massive destruction. Some 24 towns and cities were flooded either on or near the shoreline and 800 km of coastline were heavily impacted by the tsunami; nature’s powerful one-two punch killed 524 people and changed the lives of millions. Having observed these violent effects and changes, it could be possible to diminish impacts by educating and warning the population that is exposed to risk. To do so, risk maps should be made and risk management programmes implemented. Creating resilient communities must be a priority, in addition to making them aware of future events, but also emphasis must be placed on the recovery of a sense of belonging with a more comprehensive urban design.