Urban Disaster Prevention

Juan Jose CASTRO (Center for International Education and Exchange)

Objective
   In recent years highly populated urban areas around the world have been intensively affected by natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and hurricanes. The primary objective of this course is to provide knowledge and understanding of the natural hazards mechanism and how they affect the urban areas. The structural damage, reconstruction and retrofit of buildings and damage of lifeline will be analyzed. Moreover countermeasure for disaster mitigation will be discussed.

Course Schedule

1. Introduction
2. Review of Natural Disasters and mitigation along the History
3. Basic concepts of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology. Earthquake Mechanism
4. Response and damage of several types of structures due to seismic actions (Buildings, Lifeline Structures)
5. 1995 Hyogo ken Nanbu Earthquake and others major earthquakes in Japan
6. Disaster due to Earthquakes in foreign countries (Peru, Turkey, Sichuan, Haiti,)
7. Field observation for potential earthquake damages
8. Disasters caused by Volcanoes and Tsunamis
9. Disasters caused by Typhoons, Hurricanes and Floods
10. Visit to a disaster prevention facility (Report)
11. Urban renewal after major events, Waste management and recycling after a disaster
12. Training and education for disaster mitigation
13. Countermeasure for disaster mitigation
14. - 15. Students Oral Presentation

Textbooks
   There is no assigned textbook. Reading material will distributed in each class

Grading Criteria
   Attendance 15%
   Report and Quiz 20%
   Class participation 25%
   Presentation 40%