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Urban.Disaster. Preivenitiion ::Proieci 
A feasibility study of regional disaster prevention in the Kobe Government 
Toshio KOIZUMI 
Dept. of Civil Engineering, Chiba Institute of Technology 
Ritsu KATAYAMA 
Dept. of Architecture, Chiba Institute of Technology 
2-17-1, Tudanuma,Narashino,Chiba 275, JAPAN 
Commission VII, Working Group 9 
KEY WORDS : Great Hanshin Earthquake, Urban Disaster Prevention Project, Aerial Photograph, 
Building type, Remote Sensing, Feasibility Study of Regional Disaster Prevention 
ABSTRACT : 
At 5:46 a.m., on January. 17, 1995, the worst disaster in postwar Japan changed Kobe, whose name in Japanese 
means "Heaven's door" , forever. The Great Hanshin Earthquake of magnitude 7.2 killed 5,501 people, injured 
34,626, and burned out 7,456 houses and other structures. This study treats of the evaluation and planning 
of the examination of a burnt-out area in a characteristic district of the city. Statistics from the 
investigation have been used to produce an analysis of building types in the burned-out area three-dimensional ly 
on the basis both of aerial photographic surveying and of remote sensing in Kobe city. A map of the zoning 
study was drawn in order to prevent the building of structures liable to spread fire both before and after 
an earthquake. The analysis of building types was |inked to previous knowledge of building density and the 
narrow streets in the area. As aresult, we recognize that a feasibility study of regional disaster prevention 
must be taken seriously in further detailed exercises. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
  
It isan established historical fact that the entire 
Japanese nation was frightened by the urban shock of 
the Hanshin Earthquake, which struck the Hanshin and 
Awaji region at 5:46 a.m. on January 17th,1995. It 
killed more than 5,500 people, injured nearly 35,000, 
and left 300,000 homeless. Furthermore, the col- 
lapsed bui Idings and houses totaled 159,544, and 531 
fires broke out. As a result, 7,456 houses were 
destroyed by fire. The ratio of the Kobe Govern- 
ment’s houses destroyed by fire came to 98.9% in all 
of the burned-out area . (Figure 1.) \ Focus 
At the time of the earthquake, the wind speed was calm, of quake 
but a large-scale conflagration resulted. The 
reason for this is that it was a man-made disaster Ali 
Compared with the direct cause of this great earth- Island 
quake. As it turned out, the houses and other 
buildings densely packed in the narrow streets in the 
City center may have been the main factor of this Kobe m // 
urban disaster. 
Therefore, we feel that it would be good to improve Figure 1. Map of Kobe crumble in the Great Hanshin 
the realizability of regional disaster prevention. Earthquake (Jan.17,1995 JAPAN) 
     
  
  
  
  
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International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996