(Re)adaptation of urban space in post-disaster recovery

Buildings and monuments are commonly prioritized in post-disaster reconstruction, but the role of urban spaces is often overlooked. The paper, therefore, seeks to shift the focus from buildings to open spaces by examining how urban spaces interact with the built fabric and cultural practices to help to build resilience. Drawing on interviews with survivors and rescuers and field observations of earthquake-ravaged Durbar Square in Kathmandu, this research links specific features of urban spaces to specific community actions to understand how historic urban spaces have allowed local values to be expressed in the disaster’s aftermath creating a coping mechanism. It argues that historic urban spaces have inherent functional, performative, and restorative qualities that play an important role in post-disaster recovery, and more attention needs to be given to them in planning and urban studies. The paper reaffirms the value of urban design in a disaster and the argument that historic, incrementally “grown” cities feature more adaptive systems and are, thus, more flexible and resilient after a disaster.