From disaster to resilience: A comparative study of legal models for regulating seismic risk of existing buildings

Abstract

Without addressing the underlying seismic vulnerabilities and risks of buildings, the consequences of a large earthquake can turn from minor disruptions of daily life into extensive disasters. While strong seismic building codes are now commonly enforced for new constructions, all seismically-active nations face the lingering issue of how best to regulate existing buildings to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience from earthquake risk. The current research hopes to examine this question by conducting a comparative study to understand how seismic risk for existing buildings is regulated between jurisdictions. Using the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 as a primary guide, the study aims to recognise the different legal methods employed by States to promote disaster resilience for existing buildings. Researched topics include financial and non-financial incentives, as well as the imposition of routine building inspections. Knowledge of legal approaches across jurisdictions helps to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different strategies, in an attempt to find a best practice regulation model of resilience for existing buildings to ensure the impact of future earthquakes is reduced.