ISSN:
1572-9893
Keywords:
California
;
culture of prevention
;
earthquake engineering
;
seismology
;
technology
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geography
Notes:
Abstract In the last half of the twentieth century, urban Californians came to expect that engineering solutions would overcome the threat of natural seismic activities. This sanguine attitude is rooted in the rise of urban/industrial society, which resulted in huge capital investments in modern cities, complex infrastructures, and made residents increasingly dependent on centralized services for water, fuel, food, transportation, communication, and shelter. While peril from earthquakes seldom concerned people in the rural/agrarian world, the nature of the modern city enormously heightened the risk of ruinous loss to human life and property from natural disasters. The cataclysmic earthquake that wreaked havoc on San Francisco in 1906 plainly illustrated this, and in its wake engineers and geologists developed a sustained interest in understanding seismic activity and constructing earthquake-safe buildings. The study of earthquakes and aseismic building construction evolved with each new earthquake. Earthquake intensities and ground motions were measured and compared. Fallen and standing structures were studied. Chasing earthquakes became a way of life for some investigators, as they gained confidence that they could make modern cities safe against tremors. Over time a culture of prevention emerged, initially fostered by engineers and geologists, eventually sustained by those who invested in the modern city – capitalists and governing officials – and ultimately embraced by the general public. Thus, Californians became believers in a culture of prevention grounded in societal confidence that people can control the natural world with science and technology.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1017513708001
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