U21 POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS I

Water - how need drives research and research underpins solutions to world-wide problems
20th-25th July 2008, University of Birmingham, Birmingham UK

Urban waterfront revitalization for tsunami disaster mitigation: A case study of

Indonesia
Fahmyddin Tauhid
University of Nottingham, Urban Design Programme, Nottingham, UK

Waterfront revitalization: economic and mitigation plan motives

The shift from an economy dominated by manufacturing to knowledge economy especially in
industrialized countries, has transferred manufacturing activity to cities with cheaper Labors (Coupland
1997). The industrialized city can become studded with abandoned site that both become a symbol of
decline and revitalization. The future of the city becomes dependent on attracting new industries,
investment and jobs. The new economy is driven by technology and information industries (Reich 1992).
Adapting to changing economics and competing for a more significant role in the world economy, they
have reinvented themselves to attract new flows of capital investment (Hedley 1994).
Urban waterfront revitalization is measured as one of the keys to deal with this problem (Dovey
2005). Urban waterfront redevelopment, of course, is not confined exclusively to port cities but is found as
a continuous process in most places where settlement and water are juxtaposed, whether or not
commercial port activity is or was present (Hoyle 1988). The urban waterfront has been examined as a
novel border of the city and government with strong need to attract investment and create an image of the
city in progress (Dovey, 2005). In addition, it also becomes a perimeter of the city with opportunities for
significant aesthetics, economic, social and environmental benefits.
Furthermore, not all waterfront development is driven by economic factors since there is
considerable scope for visionary architecture, urban design and planning (Hoyle 1993).
For
Indonesia, the disaster mitigation-based waterfront revitalization should be integrated within such a
process since it is located in disaster prone area like tsunami (BAPPENAS 2005).

Tsunami disaster in Indonesia

In Indonesia, natural disasters are frequent phenomena: causing loss of life, destruction of property and
irreversible damage to the coastal and land environment. It is situated between Asia and Australia
continents, the Indian and pacific oceans and also located in the tectonic Zone (USGS 2008).
Geologically, it is composed of parts of three crucial active plates: Eurasian plate, Indian-Australia plate,
and Pacific Ocean floor. This composition makes Indonesia, particularly waterfront cities vulnerable to
natural disasters such as earth quake and volcanoes eruption which may generate catastrophic tsunami
On December 26, 2004, an earthquake of Mw=9.3 occurred in the northwest coast of Sumatera island,
Indonesia. The earthquake generated a catastrophic tsunami that caused a massive scale destruction
and enormous death toll in Indonesia (ESS 2005). The December 26 tsunami has increased awareness
for stakeholders to integrate tsunami mitigation plan into urban planning and design for cities located in
the tsunami-prone area. (Golonka 2004: Hamilton 1979).

U21 POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS I

Water - how need drives research and research underpins solutions to world-wide problems
20th-25th July 2008, University of Birmingham, Birmingham UK

Figure1.

The existing plates composing Indonesia (Prasetyo et al. 2004)

Causalities
Displaced
Died

1964
1968

Cause of
event
Volcano
eruption
Earthquake
Earthquake

1977

No

Location/ event

Year of
event

Sunda (Krakatau)

1883

2
3

Sumatera
Tambo, central sulawesi
Sumba,West Nusa
tenggara
Flores,East Nusa tenggara
Bayuwangi, East java
Aceh & Nias (Indian
ocean)
Parangtritis, Java

4
5
6
7
8

36,000

*
*

110
392

Earthquake

316

1992
1994

Earthquake
Earthquake

*
*

2100
208

2004

Earthquake

598,285

243,530

2006

Earthquake

74,000

670

Table1 . Major Tsunamis in Indonesia (BAKORNAS 2008)

U21 POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS I

Water - how need drives research and research underpins solutions to world-wide problems
20th-25th July 2008, University of Birmingham, Birmingham UK

Waterfront cities located in a tsunami hazard-prone area are vulnerable to disaster because of
the high concentration of people, buildings, infrastructure and socio-economic activities. Once the
tsunami strikes, there will be tremendous losses and damages in the city. Therefore, it is important to
prepare the city and its community with a disaster mitigation plan in order to reduce the damage and
losses.
Urban planning and design strategies for tsunami mitigation
Urban planning and design can be used as an effective tool in reducing the economic and social risks
of tsunami (FIG 2006). A disaster mitigation plan can be involved at every stage of the urban planning
and design process: planning, monitoring, evaluating, and revising plans (Pelling 2003). The
implementation of urban planning and design for mitigation plan particularly tsunami hazard includes as
follow (NTHMP 2001: JICA 2005):

Arrangement of land use and site planning: this consists of designation of tsunami hazard areas
for open space uses, land use designation in hazard area, zoning arrangement from the public to
private zone, capital improvement planning and budgeting;
Development of supporting infrastructure : this consists of Costal structures, Public emergency
facilities, housing strategies, critical facilities;
Planting of coastal forest;
Providing an early warning system;
Emergency road network planning: this consists of an escape and relief road;
Pre-tsunami evacuation planning: this is classified into horizontal and vertical methods.

A Tsunami mitigation plan also requires public participation since the community becomes the
subject (actor) and the object (target) of the mitigation plan (NTHMP 2001). The mitigation plan when
applied to the comprehensive urban planning and design policies allows the community to be involved
and discuss the main issues in a systematic way. It also acknowledges that the community needs to
understand the risks and makes them more aware of the mitigation strategies that the local government
plans to apply (Pearce 2003).
However, there is no single method to design a hazard mitigation plan in the urban and design
planning process. It will depend on the planners, authorities as well as other stakeholders to choose an
appropriate method that would suit the region.

Conclusion
Currently many cities around the world are facing changing economics. Waterfront revitalization is mainly
considered as one solution to deal with such problems. It has been as measurable opportunities for these
cities to increase significantly benefits to residents in term of aesthetics, economic, social and
environmental factors (Dovey 2005).
In the Indonesia context, waterfront revitalization is not only determined by economic purposes but
also as part of a for tsunami mitigation plan since mostly of its cities are located in a tsunami prone area
(BAPPENAS 2005). This mitigation plan can effectively be embedded within the urban planning and
design for respective cities.
Urban planning and design can be utilized as an appropriate method to minimize the economic and
social risks of the tsunami (FIG 2006). The application of urban planning and design for the mitigation
plan includes (NTHMP 2001: JICA 2005): Arrangement of Land use and site planning, Development of
supporting infrastructure, Planting of Coastal Forest: Provision of an early warning system, Emergency
road network planning and Pre-tsunami evacuation planning. It is also strongly recommended to involve
public participation during development such a plan to meet the plans objective successfully (NTHMP
2001). Lastly, the comprehensive tsunami mitigation plan requires incorporation of urban planning and
design strategies, public participation and appropriate method implementation from stakeholders such as
government, planners as well as communities.

U21 POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS I

Water - how need drives research and research underpins solutions to world-wide problems
20th-25th July 2008, University of Birmingham, Birmingham UK

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