Three months before the scheduled Olympic games in China, one of its regions suffered a catastrophic earthquake, where nearly 1 lakh people died. Within four months, the State Council issued a plan for recovery. The plan divided reconstruction areas into
three categories: suitable for reconstruction, suitable
for appropriate reconstruction (for areas with environmental
constraints or economic limitations), and
unsuitable for reconstruction (ecological areas that
accounted for 63.5 percent of the planning area).
The reconstruction was expected to cost US$147 billion, which was equal to the gdp of the entire province or 20 percent of all Chinese government revenue for the previous year.
A unique aspect of this recovery process was the “pair assistance” program through which the state council asked 19 eastern provinces to support recovery in 24 counterpart counties. Donor provinces were asked to “offer assistance with no less than 1 percent of their last ordinary budget revenues”.
Pair assistance facilitated the speed and efficiency of reconstruction by decentralized recovery activities. Pair assistance distributed some of the administrative work, technical capacity, and financial burden to the wealthier provinces. By creating many more channels for financial flow, the program reduced the potential for bureaucratic bottlenecks to impede funding streams. It increased reconstruction capacity by mobilizing planners, designers, and construction specialists from the donor provinces and directly connected them to earthquake-affected counties and towns.
Most of the reconstruction of housing, infrastructure, and public buildings was complete within three years. However the new cities are not fully occupied, nor are the industrial parks. Jobs and social needs were not kept in mind while rebuilding.
The reconstruction was expected to cost US$147 billion, which was equal to the gdp of the entire province or 20 percent of all Chinese government revenue for the previous year.
A unique aspect of this recovery process was the “pair assistance” program through which the state council asked 19 eastern provinces to support recovery in 24 counterpart counties. Donor provinces were asked to “offer assistance with no less than 1 percent of their last ordinary budget revenues”.
Pair assistance facilitated the speed and efficiency of reconstruction by decentralized recovery activities. Pair assistance distributed some of the administrative work, technical capacity, and financial burden to the wealthier provinces. By creating many more channels for financial flow, the program reduced the potential for bureaucratic bottlenecks to impede funding streams. It increased reconstruction capacity by mobilizing planners, designers, and construction specialists from the donor provinces and directly connected them to earthquake-affected counties and towns.
Most of the reconstruction of housing, infrastructure, and public buildings was complete within three years. However the new cities are not fully occupied, nor are the industrial parks. Jobs and social needs were not kept in mind while rebuilding.
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