Implementation issues of the planning support tool in Japan: Focusing on urban disaster mitigation

Abstract

This study determined the issues of Planning Support System (PSS) implementation in the field of urban disaster mitigation in Japan by understanding its analytical perspective through a review of Western literature, a questionnaire survey of urban planning consultant companies, and PSS implementation for a practical project in a municipality.

Regarding the instrumental perspective, there was difficulty in conducting the simulationbased PSS due to the enormous simulation time required.

Regarding the transfer perspective, the importance of the municipality’s decision of adopting the PSS to a project, securing the budget and continuous running costs, track record of the practical project, and lack of human resource for the PSS use were clarified.

Regarding the user perspective, the difficulty in data collection and update as well as importance of the cooperative system/support from the developer in the initial period were clarified.

Especially, considering the low number of implementations, a platform may be important for the promotion of PSS awareness. This may be also useful for the diffusion of PSS. It is necessary for the developers to fully communicate the benefits of PSS adoption. It is thought that a close cooperative system and support are required in the initial stage. For promoting and understanding the benefits of PSS adoption, a guideline or manual seems to be useful. This is effective for ensuring the budget and providing an explanation to high-level members of the organizations about the effect of utilizing these tools.

For the final implementation, the possibility of installation, maintenance, and operation of the PSS by the municipality was discussed.

Key words： Planning support tool; Urban disaster mitigation; Implementation; GIS; Fire spread; Evacuation