Post Earthquake Recovery in Suzu City: Evaluating Temporary Shelter Conditions, Policy-Driven Inequities, and 3D-Printed Reconstruction for Rural Communities

The increasing severity of natural disasters, combined with aging and depopulation in rural Japan, has revealed critical shortcomings in current recovery frameworks. Focusing on the built environment and architectural dimensions of post-disaster recovery, this paper examines the structural, institutional, and social conditions affecting disaster recovery in Suzu City following the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Drawing on ten days of qualitative field research conducted in March 2025, including site surveys, spatial observations, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 30 residents and local stakeholders, this study investigates how temporary housing programs, geographic isolation, demographic decline, and administrative rigidity shape recovery trajectories in aging rural communities. While temporary shelter initiatives prioritize rapid deployment and uniformity, they often neglect the psychosocial needs, spatial habits, and autonomy of elderly residents. Many residents are facing layered challenges rooted in architectural deficiencies: inadequate thermal insulation, poor soundproofing, spatial inefficiencies, and a lack of secure, functional areas for daily tasks. These limitations disrupt routines, erode dignity, and delay emotional recovery, leading to prolonged displacement and deepened vulnerability. The findings reveal that administrative inflexibility, labour shortages, and logistical constraints further delayed reconstruction and reinforce patterns of social exclusion, particularly for elderly women and low-income households. In response, the study also examines grassroots recovery initiatives and assesses the viability of alternative architectural solutions, such as 3D-printed housing. Though not yet used as formal shelters, these customizable, cost-effective, and scalable models demonstrate potential for supporting localized reconstruction and economic revitalization. By centering the lived experiences of older individuals and the spatial realities of post-disaster shelter, this study redefines recovery as a socially embedded process and calls for site-sensitive, demographically responsive, and design-integrated recovery strategies.