OSAKA UNIVERSITY SHORT-TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM _

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 hazards. This course mainly focuses on natural hazards in east and south-east Asian areas such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, floods and storm, etc.
The primary objective of this course is to provide basic knowledge and understanding of the natural hazards mechanism and how urban areas' people should confront against them.
This course provides the opportunity to learn through field trips about the damages caused by strong earthquakes and tsunamis occurred in Japan.
The appropriate preparation and actions for natural hazards by the central and local governments, in addition to residential and business communities will be discussed. The structural damages, reconstruction and retrofit of buildings and lifeline systems will also be analyzed.

Course Schedule

  1. Introduction to Natural Disasters
  2. Earthquakes
  3. Tsunamis
  4. Field Trip
  5. Volcanoes and Others Hazards (Floods, Cyclones and Hurricanes)
  6. Earthquakes action on Buildings and Lifeline
  7. Field Observation
  8. Earthquakes in Japan
  9. Earthquakes in Other Countries
  10. Pre-Disaster Stage (Preparedness)
  11. Emergency Stage
  12. Post Disaster Stage Recovery and reconstruction
  13. - 15. Students Oral Presentation

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

Grading Criteria