Design before disaster : Japan’s culture of preparedness

The Urban Risk Lab is proud to present Design Before Disaster : Japan’s Culture of Preparedness by Prof. Miho Mazereeuw. Japan’s long history of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and other natural hazards has fostered a distinctive culture of preparedness known as bosai. Drawing on over two decades of fieldwork and spatial research, this book offers a comprehensive framework for anticipating disasters and integrating resilience into urban design and architecture. Design Before Disaster provides timely insights into disaster mitigation and adaptation, equipping communities around the world’s most vulnerable regions with strategies to reduce risk and strengthen resilience. A vital contribution to the future of disaster preparedness.

Learn more and purchase the book through https://www.designbeforedisaster.net.

(Images by Larisa Ovalles; Photos by Tristan Kamata)

MIT Urban Risk Lab: Miho Mazereeuw, Larisa Ovalles, Saeko Nomura Baird, Endo Kenya, Lizzie Yarina, Taketani Maya, Jon Brearley, Chen Chu, Takahashi Ryosuke, Ichikura Ryuhei, Helena Hang Rong, Evellyn Tan, Lynced Torres, Eakapob Huangthanapan and Jie Zhang.

Editors: Boyd Zenner, Lisa Sone Twaronite, Lucy McKeon, Laura Reed-Morrisson

Supported by: Hayashi-ULVAC MISTI Japan, MIT HASS Grant, Harvard GSD Arthur W. Wheelwright Travelling Fellowship, Furthermore Grant by the J. M. Kaplan Fund, and Suntory Foundation’s Support for Overseas Publication Grant.

Website design: Tristan Kamata