Road to Bavarity – part 3

In the course of my preparations for "Bavarity" and its structure, it became clear to me that I had been writing about building in Bavaria longer than was aware to me at the time. This is relevant for two reasons. For one, it was important to me to develop an understanding of crises and disasters that had the potential for harmonization with perspectives of architecture, urban design and urban planning. From this point of view, it is sensible to refer to the insights gained by sociological research on disasters. In fact, I had already developed a related approach in 2007 and tested corresponding hypotheses within international and national case studies. This leads to the second reason: A particular case of an environmental crisis and disaster unfolded along the Danube river in Lower Bavaria in 2013. Only few colleagues understood right away just how catastrophic the impact was, in particular during the phase of disaster management that is intended to achieve recovery and reconstruction. From an international perspective, rebuilding is supposed to incorporate objectives of preparedness for as well as adaptation to future risks and hazards. Frank Kaltenbach and I published our observations on the flood impact in Deggendorf in issue 5/2014 of DETAIL magazine. In my interviews with affected residents and institutional actors on site it became clear to me just how important an inclusive, community-wide planning process would have been for all residents. The aim could have been a sustainable and future-proof reconstruction effort – something that arguably didn't occur. International comparisons lead to the recognition that it is important to revise disaster management approaches in their current form on the level of the German states and the federal government under consideration of EU legislative initiatives.

"Bavarität: Krisenbewältigung im baukulturellen Raum" is available from Springer Spektrum and all booksellers.