Unraveling Urban Disaster Management: A Deep Dive into SETS Implications through a Case Study of Toyama City, Japan

Abstract

This study uses the Social–Ecological–Technological Systems (SETS) framework to examine the urban disaster management strategies of Toyama City, Japan. The recent seismic shocks on the Noto Peninsula highlight the importance of implementing efficient disaster management. Toyama City has incorporated the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into its statutory planning frameworks and urban management policies. This synthesis promotes a cooperative approach to disaster resilience while effectively managing challenging limitations. However, we investigate how Toyama City’s policy may be improved using policy direction evaluation and SETS allomorph coding. This extensive allomorph analysis of the city’s urban planning and disaster management documents shows a dominant focus on social and technical elements, including emergency preparedness, policy, economic criteria, and infrastructure. Nevertheless, the results reveal a significant deficiency in ecological considerations, indicating an asymmetry in the existing policy framework. Our study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive disaster management strategy that considers social, technological, and ecological variables to improve the city’s ability to support sustainable development and socio-hydrological challenges.