Feasibility studies for optimum establishment of rural occupancy in mountainous regions

Abstract

Purpose

A remarkable number of Iran's villages, in addition to the general earthquake hazard, are faced with other natural hazards including floods, landslides, and landslips. The village of Badleh Kuh is one example faced with a great danger of land thrust and flood. A wide range of field studies show that this village is greatly in danger of natural hazards and is located in a completely unstable area. The main aim of this paper is to define and assess the optimum approach and intervening method for this village.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of this paper are based on the main goals and project operations and are in line with securing and stabilizing life in the village of Badleh Kuh. The necessary data have been provided using two methods of attributive and field research, although the groundwork is put on field notations and experimental studies. The main map of this project was based on a scale of 1:50,000 which after conforming to aerial photos, the results were a scale of 1:20,000 and Landset satellite photos with separation power of 30 m and field withdrawal in the ArcGIS 9 program, resulting maps were processed and yielded at a scale of 1:25,000.

Findings

The paper finds that implementing the transfer plan of Badleh Kuh village to the new location necessitates joint and necessary cooperation between governmental and non‐governmental institutions and people; appointing local leaders to justify villagers for acceptance and better cooperation with the re‐occupancy plan; holding promotion, educational, and justification classes in order to improve knowledge and recognition of aims and components of the re‐occupancy plan; implementing the re‐occupancy plan in a stage‐by‐stage and systematic manner; providing a pilot and elaborative plan of the suggested location and predicting future developments of the village; carrying out land preparation operations and infrastructure projects; visiting the new location for approval may have a positive effect for villagers who might be opposed to the plan; inviting villagers' cooperation which are financially capable and abide seasonally in the village; regarding the fact that the village economy is greatly dependent on ranching, this issue must be kept in mind when separating housing units and levels of housing units; before implementing the plan, it is better to hold a seminar or conference with the presence of benefactors, executive authorities, and experts in the province in order to discuss the issue of transferring the village in danger; giving heed to the economic worries and assistance for increasing production and income rates and also giving variety to the villager's life quality will contribute to stable development; the aim of implementing the plan should not be just transfer of the village to another location, but must also comprise various cultural, social, and economic aims; securing the necessary credibility and acting upon commitments by the governmental and non‐governmental institutions may decrease consequences and have a significant effect on the plan's success; the plan must be contiguous and carried out in a specific time span and the incomplete implementation of the plan may decrease public cooperation.

Originality/value

This paper assesses and analyzes the optimum rehabilitation approaches for Badleh Kuh which will be relevant to other villages in Iran.

Citation

Valizadeh, R. and Elmi, M. (2010), "Feasibility studies for optimum establishment of rural occupancy in mountainous regions", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 221-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/17595901011056668