Journal of Natural Disaster Science

A PETRI-NET APPROACH FOR MODELING BOTTLENECKS IN THE RESTORATION AND/OR RESTRUCTURING PROCESS OF MULTIPLEX DISASTER-DAMAGED URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS

Norio OKADA
Professor, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Uji, 611, JAPAN
and
Eizo HIDESHIMA
Instructor, Department of Civil Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-01, JAPAN

(Received 14 December, 1995 and in revised form 21 March, 1996)

Abstract

The Hyogoken-nambu (Hanshin-Awaji) Earthquake, which struck Japan on 17 January 1995, was a typical large-scale multiplex disaster which brought the functions of the urban infrastructure systems to a complete halt. The region was beset by deadlocks in the restoration and/or restructuring process of the urban infrastructure systems which were damaged in this disaster.

We propose a Petri-net model that describes visually the parallel dynamic relations between urban infrastructure facilities and social activities, including restoration and restructuring activities. With this method we analyzed the bottlenecks which cause deadlocks in the social dynamic process using the reachability tree of the Petri-net model. We also developed some appropriate restoration and/or restructuring processes for disaster damage.

Key words

earthquake disaster, infrastructure planning, Petri Net Theory