Case study in Nishi Suma: towards a community-building
initiative
Background and issues
To understand the real situations, problems and issues affecting the rehabilitation
process, it was decided to conduct a case study in the Nishi Suma area in the western
part of Kobe city (see Figure 3). The case study area was a small neighbourhood of
2km2, with an estimated population of 28,000. It had long been known for its
importance as a critical location for traffic connection between eastern and western part
of Kobe city. Within a small width of 1km, it is surrounded by mountains in the north
and the sea in the south, also two railway lines and one national road passed through
the neighbourhood. Thus, the area was divided into pieces by many roads and
railways. Roads were considered to be major problems for the Nishi Suma residents
not only in terms of health and environmental pollution but also in terms of community
and civic movements. The area suffered a tremor with an intensity of 7.0 on the
Japanese seven-stage seismic scale (which is equivalent to intensity X and XI on the
MMI scale) and sustained severe damage. In densely built-up wooden districts, 80 per
cent of houses were completely or partially destroyed. Collapsed houses blocked the
narrow alleys and this delayed the rescue operation and restoration. In spite of the
serious damage incurred, the Nishi Suma area was labelled as an ‘unsupported area’
except for the main road project carried out by the city government. Two issues