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There is a fear of earthquakes destroying property and lives in California.
by djloche 12y ago
There is a fear of earthquakes destroying property and lives in California.
- patio11 12y agoPlease point Californians who think this at a photo of Tokyo.
- waterlesscloud 12y agoFears are often not rational, and such fears do play a minor role in feelings against certain structures in California. Talk to some people for a while and it comes up. Having said that, it's not the main driver preventing development in the Bay Area. Citizens with money, influence, and established interests want lower-density development, and so that's what exists.
- davidw 12y agoOr photos of the very much intact skyscrapers in downtown San Francisco after the 1989 earthquake.
- djloche 12y agoFor whatever the reasons - the Japanese government decided that opportunities of building taller buildings outweighs the risks involved. Both California and Japan have a long history of earthquakes and know the danger involved. When you look at the numbers, more people have died due to earthquakes in Japan than in California. Prime example: CA 1994 Northridge earthquake (6.7 magnitude, 70 people died, $20B in damage) vs Hanshin earthquake (6.8 magnitude, 6400+ died, $100 billion in damage). Are the fears irrational? Each culture has a different approach. I agree with other comments though - fear of earthquakes is a minor footnote in the grand scheme of property development in California.
- rsynnott 12y agoMost deaths in the Hanshin earthquake were caused by collapse of older buildings; modern highrises were largely unaffected.
- WalterSear 12y agoFwiw, they don't actually think this.
- baddox 12y agoI don't know how strong that fear is, considering that 12% of the US population lives in California.