Evaluation of Baresar Village Reconstruction after the 1990 Roudbar Earthquake

Because of the location of Iran in high-risk areas, this country is subjected to severe earthquakes. One of the most catastrophic disasters is Roudbar-Manjil earthquake on June 21, 1990 that was caused a lot of damages. The damage was not limited only in these areas and widely spread. One of these affected areas was Baresar village which is the subject of the present paper. After the earthquake, the reconstruction was done and the village was relocated. This paper tries to recognize the old and new Baresar after reconstruction. Also, it tries to identify the factors influencing the success of the village reconstruction in order to evaluate it.
Comparison of the old village and the reconstructed one, the old housing and the new one, the old construction and the new one is the aim of this paper. It tries to understand the views of the people about the reconstructed village in order to review the reconstruction. For this purpose, data analysis is done using a qualitative approach. The required data are collected through studying books, articles, essays and websites. Then, in order to complete the information, a trip was done to the village on November 2013. This visit aimed to conduct fieldwork including interviews with residents and collecting information by photos, sketches and maps. After collecting data, SWOT technique was applied in order to analyze and interpret them.
Findings: One of the most significant issues in Baresar village is the decision of relocation. Old experiences indicate that relocation is something beyond the physical movement of people and their buildings to a new place. It appears that a comprehensive analysis was not done on this village in order to relocate and select an appropriate site. In other words, merely the transfer of individuals, groups and properties had been considered in relocation while relocation is complete transfer of a community with all assets. Therefore, this decision should be reconsidered.
This paper concludes that after 24 years from the village reconstruction, life is not going as it was expected. Despite efforts, the reconstructed Baresar is not in optimal conditions. Lack of respect to the social structure of old village, neglecting the needs, wants and interests of the villagers, neglecting culture and their livelihood, a linear reconstruction, failure to comply with the old construction of village, inattention to the past and dissatisfaction all result in a relatively unsuccessful reconstruction that this paper presents them.