6 ms·

That is mostly because of war, and not due to natural disasters.

mikeg8 12y ago
This has some truth but not the whole picture. I recently listened to a fascinating Podcast from Freakenomics Radio called, "Are Japanese homes disposable?" where they discussed a huge cultural difference regarding how the Japanese view their homes. When they purchase a home, they usually tear it down and build a new one from scratch. Once a home is built, the Japanese invest almost zero money/effort into maintenance. The average half-life of a home there is 38 years compared to over 100 in the US (not just SF). Growth in their construction industry is rapid despite almost stagnant economic growth. Anyway, it was just super interesting and definitely worth a listen to, especially because "earthquake fear" is an overstated factor in their housing production.
- ekianjo 12y ago
  > Once a home is built, the Japanese invest almost zero money/effort into maintenance. Not really true. There are hundreds of companies in every city specializing in what Japanese call "Reform", which means making older houses/building more modern (either through maintenance, renovation, replacement of installations and so on).
  - gwern 12y ago
    > There are hundreds of companies in every city specializing in what Japanese call "Reform" Is that more or less than one would expect for one of the wealthiest & most technologically sophisticated countries in the world?
  - mikeg8 12y ago
    Maybe. I'm know very little about Japanese culture but based on what I heard recently from that podcast, the statics they mentioned regarding home maintenance contradict your statement. Or maybe there are hundreds of companies but the reforms only touch a small fraction of total structures and those structures are non-residential...
- adregan 12y ago
  2 summers ago there were a couple of great shows at some Tokyo Museums about Tokyo's Urban Metabolism[0]. Not only are homes quickly replaced as you have stated, but the neighborhood structure, created by the commercial buildings on the main roadways and the small homes on the interior, forms a firebreak. With earthquakes, fire is the greatest threat after the shaking stops. 0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism_(architecture) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism_(architecture)
brazzy 12y ago
I believe the point that mikeg was making is that the on average newer Japanese houses are more likely to be be built specifically earthquake-proof. Actually, the low average age of houses in Japan is not at all due to the war (it's much smaller than 60 years), but due to cultural/economical issues: http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/vv3bf/why_do_japanese_houses_lose_all_their_value_after/ http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/vv3bf/why_do_japanese...

This has some truth but not the whole picture. I recently listened to a fascinating Podcast from Freakenomics Radio called, "Are Japanese homes disposable?" where they discussed a huge cultural difference regarding how the Japanese view their homes. When they purchase a home, they usually tear it down and build a new one from scratch. Once a home is built, the Japanese invest almost zero money/effort into maintenance. The average half-life of a home there is 38 years compared to over 100 in the US (not just SF). Growth in their construction industry is rapid despite almost stagnant economic growth. Anyway, it was just super interesting and definitely worth a listen to, especially because "earthquake fear" is an overstated factor in their housing production.

ekianjo 12y ago
> Once a home is built, the Japanese invest almost zero money/effort into maintenance. Not really true. There are hundreds of companies in every city specializing in what Japanese call "Reform", which means making older houses/building more modern (either through maintenance, renovation, replacement of installations and so on).
- gwern 12y ago
  > There are hundreds of companies in every city specializing in what Japanese call "Reform" Is that more or less than one would expect for one of the wealthiest & most technologically sophisticated countries in the world?
- mikeg8 12y ago
  Maybe. I'm know very little about Japanese culture but based on what I heard recently from that podcast, the statics they mentioned regarding home maintenance contradict your statement. Or maybe there are hundreds of companies but the reforms only touch a small fraction of total structures and those structures are non-residential...
adregan 12y ago
2 summers ago there were a couple of great shows at some Tokyo Museums about Tokyo's Urban Metabolism[0]. Not only are homes quickly replaced as you have stated, but the neighborhood structure, created by the commercial buildings on the main roadways and the small homes on the interior, forms a firebreak. With earthquakes, fire is the greatest threat after the shaking stops. 0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism_(architecture) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism_(architecture)

brazzy 12y ago

I believe the point that mikeg was making is that the on average newer Japanese houses are more likely to be be built specifically earthquake-proof. Actually, the low average age of houses in Japan is not at all due to the war (it's much smaller than 60 years), but due to cultural/economical issues: http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/vv3bf/why_do_japanese_houses_lose_all_their_value_after/ http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/vv3bf/why_do_japanese...