New University of Washington research spotlights an often overlooked factor in earthquake fatality research: migration.
The research team, led by Tzu-Hsin Karen Chen, an assistant professor in both the University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, found that deaths in major earthquakes were often concentrated in suburban areas as opposed to city centers. The research team included many collaborators across Taiwan as well, using the country’s Chi-Chi Earthquake (1999) as a case study.
The study identifies “suburban syndrome,” a phenomenon where low-income people and migrants often move to urban fringes in search of economic opportunity, but end up residing in poorly constructed homes, increasing their susceptibility to earthquakes and other natural disasters.