Planning processes for reconstruction with citizen participation after large-scale disasters: A case study of reconstruction study meetings in Miyako City after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Town planning for reconstruction after large-scale disasters that is led exclusively by the local government may be insufficient. However, it is also difficult to effectively incorporate citizen participation into planning because of insufficient government manpower and a lack of time among citizens. The present study surveys and analyzes a process of mutual coordination between a local government and citizens involved in town reconstruction planning after a large-scale disaster in order to understand how citizens’ participation in the early stages of the planning process for town reconstruction should be. A local study meeting in Miyako City is taken as a case example. As a method of incorporating citizen participation, it is found that the local study meeting was simple and effective method in obtaining consensus among local residents, but was not effective and may even have exacerbated disagreement regarding fundamental issues.