Urban Growth And Disaster Risk Study In Taiwan

• Main Authors: Wang, Wenhung, 王文宏
• Other Authors: Sah, Jypyng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/77639789299382952013

碩士 === 長榮大學 === 土地管理與開發學系碩士班 === 100 === Taiwan is exposed to significant potential of disaster losses. The land use changes and urban development further the probability and the exposures of disaster threats. This study explores the causal relationship between urban growth and the potentials of being impacted by disasters. The findings can provide a solid basis for city planners and administrators to regulate future development while preventing disaster losses. This study utilizes the governmental statistics to measure the extent of urban growth and disaster risk. Geographical information system is also used to systematically display the spatial distribution of these factors. The information of urban growth is derived from the local governmental statistics; the information of the risks and disasters is collected via the Disaster Responses Reports of the National Fire Agency. The study has its time span between 1996 and 2008, and geographical span is limited to the islands of Taiwan and Penghu. Overall, this study comprises 358 townships and districts. This research reveals that the urban growth in Taiwan was quite insignificant in the past 13 years, except those moderate-sized cities. Highly developed cities are most likely the administrative centers in each county. The moderate-sized cities are located around those highly developed cities. As to the least developed cities, are located at remote areas and farther away from administrative centers.The extent of disaster losses is affected by specific severe disaster events. Thus, the examination of the trend of disaster losses was unsuccessful. Spatially, we observed the average disaster losses and losses per capita from map overlays. The cities of the highest disaster losses are Shigang, Dongshi, Heping, and Xinshe in Taichung City. These areas were severely hit by the 921 earthquake in 1999. Over the time duration of this study, the association between the extent of urbanization and the disaster losses is not revealed, for which the research hypothesis is rejected. It could be due to the limited research time span, which is too short to reflect the tendency. This research also tried to examine the association between the measurement of urbanization as of 2008, and the accumulated disaster losses since 1996, and the association was significant. The more urbanized of an area, there were more losses induced from disasters. Also, per capita losses increase as the extent of urbanization rises. This study suggests that the local government should strengthen the management of new development, thus reduce losses from disasters. Highly developed cities should be compact and dense, and their location should be free from disaster impacts. The exposure of new development/population to disasters should be limited. Hillside and remote areas are the most dangerous placed in Taiwan. Therefore, the management of urban growth can be conducted thru setting quantitative development thresholds to limit new developments. Any strategy that prevents new population and building into these dangerous areas can be effective in mitigating future losses.