A Practical Approach to Temporary Housing for Disaster Victims

The purpose of this study is to reveal the residential environment of temporary housing for disaster victims and propose supporting measures, taking a practical approach to temporary housing for victims of two disasters, the 7.13 flood and the Chuetsu earthquake, both of which occurred in 2004 in Chuetsu, the middle area of Niigata Prefecture in Japan. By means of on-site investigation and a "temporary open café" project providing practical support for residents in temporary housing, this study arrived at the following conclusions. (1) Knowledge of how to improve temporary residential units was shared with neighbors, but it was not spread among the temporary sites. (2) The communities in temporary housing were based on former neighborhood communities. It was useful that people who used to be neighbors were housed at the same temporary site and a common room was built at each temporary site. (3) The community in temporary housing was exclusive. However, in the second stage of recovery, the temporary cafés became useful as places where residents could escape the bonds of these communities. (4) During the one and half years after the earthquake, special places providing opportunities for communication and refreshment were produced by residents in the temporary sites.