On April 27, 2011, an EF–4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Historic damage from the storm coincided with a recessionary economy, a double blow from which the city has yet to recover. This study applied disaster vulnerability theory to a mixed–methods analysis involving qualitative research, photography, and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis in order to document the recovery of three neighborhoods in the tornado zone. One measure of progress is easy to see. Two neighborhoods, both financially stable, have been rebuilt. The third neighborhood has lagged behind the other two, although residents, community leaders, and city planners seek to revitalize this blighted community. Tuscaloosa's experience suggests that prestorm vulnerabilities lead to uneven recovery and proposals for the gentrification of poor neighborhoods that reproduce preexisting patterns of residential segregation.
Construyendo otra Vez: Recuperación Estratificada luego de un Tornado EF–4 en Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Resumen
El 27 de abril del 2011, un tornado EF–4 azotó Tuscaloosa, Alabama. El daño histórico de la tormenta coincidió con una economía en recesión, una doble desgracia de la cual la ciudad tiene que recobrarse aún. Este estudio aplicó la teoría de la vulnerabilidad de desastres a un análisis de métodos mixtos incluyendo investigación cuantitativa, fotografía, y análisis SIG para documentar la recuperación de tres barrios en la zona del tornado. Es fácil ver un nivel de progreso. Dos barrios, ambos financieramente estables, han sido reconstruidos. El tercer barrio se rezagó detrás de los otros dos, aunque los vecinos, líderes comunales, y planificadores urbanos buscan recuperar esta comunidad destruida. La experiencia de Tuscaloosa sugiere que las vulnerabilidades previas a la tormenta llevan a una recuperación desigual y a propuestas de gentrificación de barrios pobres reproduciendo patrones pre–existentes de segregación residencial.
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