Mosques as Community-Based Vertical Evacuation Shelters in Tsunami-Prone Coastal Padang, Indonesia

Indonesia is among the most tsunami-prone countries in the world due to its location along active subduction zones. In coastal cities such as Padang, extremely short tsunami arrival times, high population exposure, and the limited distribution of purpose-built vertical evacuation shelters reveal a critical gap in socially embedded evacuation planning. This study examines the potential of mosques to serve as community-based vertical tsunami evacuation shelters in coastal Padang, focusing on spatial suitability, social legitimacy, and adaptive reuse within a local disaster risk reduction context. Using a qualitative, evidence-informed conceptual design approach, the study integrates secondary spatial data, tsunami hazard information, mosque distribution data, and structured evidence synthesis of empirical studies on evacuation behaviour, social trust, place attachment, and community resilience. Spatial overlay analysis was used to identify mosques located within high-risk coastal zones, while the reviewed literature was thematically analysed to assess the social and behavioural feasibility of mosque-based evacuation. The findings indicate that many mosques are located within tsunami-prone neighbourhoods and embedded in familiar everyday community networks. Their accessibility, social legitimacy, and routine public use may support evacuation responsiveness under severe time constraints. The study proposes the “Why Not Mosque?” framework to conceptualise mosques as socially embedded evacuation infrastructure that can complement formal vertical shelter systems. Rather than claiming direct structural or behavioural validation, this study offers a policy-relevant conceptual model that requires further testing through structural assessment, evacuation simulation, community surveys, and interviews with mosque administrators and disaster agencies. This study contributes to disaster risk reduction research by reframing mosques as socially embedded evacuation infrastructure and by linking faith-based disaster governance, social infrastructure, adaptive reuse, and tsunami evacuation planning within a single conceptual framework.