Reinforcements in Opwierde-Zuid, Appingedam: the Social Impact on Its Residents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Reinforcements in Opwierde-Zuid, Appingedam: the Social Impact on its Residents Irene Numan (S2586401) Master thesis Cultural Geography University of Groningen: Faculty of Spatial Sciences Supervisor: Dirk Strijker Date: 07-08-2018 Summary For the last decade, earthquakes induced by gas extraction have caused damage to buildings in the province of Groningen. Consequently, the complete neighbourhood of Opwierde-Zuid in Appingedam, approximately 460 houses, needs to be reinforced, or demolished and reconstructed with earthquake resistant constructions and materials. This has a large impact on the lives of the residents of Opwierde- Zuid, forcing residents to move out of their homes for an extended amount of time, and entirely changing their homes and lives. As a result, this reinforcement project impacts them on all levels: material, emotional, physiological, social and economic. This study examines the sense of home of residents in Opwierde-Zuid in relation to the reinforcements. A total of nine interviews, with 5 couples and 4 individuals, have been conducted to indicate the social impact of the reinforcements on the residents. The findings show that a home means everything to most people, which symbolizes safety, comfort and rootedness. Due to the reinforcement project, the majority of the participants experience a change in sense of home. The main reasons are a decrease in enjoyment of residency, loss of control towards the home, actions of authorities, disagreement about housing plans and the negative experienced atmosphere in the neighbourhood. Three couples experience a sense of loss towards their homes, which means that project has caused a breaking of bond between these residents and their home. Participants experience a lack of influence in the reinforcement project, which decreases their lack of support towards the whole project. Most residents in Opwierde-Zuid do agree and are aware of the fact that their houses need to be reinforced. However, many residents disagree with how the current reinforcements are executed at this moment, due to the large impact it creates on their lives. Authorities should have involved the residents in the decision-making process of the reinforcement from the beginning. This could have reduced feelings of uncertainty, anger and powerlessness. Keywords: sense of home, induced seismicity, earthquakes, social impact, Groningen 1 Table of Contents Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Research problem ................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Reading guide .......................................................................................................................... 5 2. Theoretical framework .................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 ‘Sense of home’ ....................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Forced relocation .................................................................................................................. 10 2.4 Disasters ................................................................................................................................ 11 2.5 Conceptual model ................................................................................................................. 14 3. The context of the Groningen earthquakes and area of interest ................................................. 15 3.1 History of the earthquakes in Groningen and its growing debate ........................................ 15 3.2 Area of interest: Opwierde-Zuid, Appingedam ..................................................................... 18 3.2.1 Opwierde-Zuid project(s) ............................................................................................... 19 3.2.2 Revitalising plan Opwierde-Zuid .................................................................................... 21 3.3 Actors involved in Opwierde-Zuid ......................................................................................... 22 4. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 24 4.1 Research Method .................................................................................................................. 24 4.2 Semi-structured interviews and on-site observations .......................................................... 24 4.2.1 Interview content and structure .................................................................................... 24 4.2.2 Recruitment of participants ........................................................................................... 25 4.3 Data analyses ........................................................................................................................ 27 4.4 Sensitivity of the topic ........................................................................................................... 28 5. Results ........................................................................................................................................... 30 5.1 Housing and neighbourhood plans ....................................................................................... 30 5.1.1 Housing plans ................................................................................................................. 30 5.1.2 Neighbourhood revitalising plans .................................................................................. 33 5.1.3 Temporary relocation .................................................................................................... 34 5.2 Sense of home and place attachment .................................................................................. 35 5.2.1 Housing satisfaction and damage to homes .................................................................. 36 5.2.2 Postponement of renewal and conservation of the house ........................................... 37 5.2.3 Changing in ‘Sense of home’ .......................................................................................... 38 5.3 Neighbourhood attachment and atmosphere ...................................................................... 39 2 5.4 Actions of authorities ............................................................................................................ 41 5.4.1 Communication .............................................................................................................. 41 5.4.2 Lack of influence ............................................................................................................ 42 5.4.3 (Increase) in loss of trust ................................................................................................ 42 5.4.4 Uncertainty regarding the gas extraction decision-making ........................................... 43 5.4.5 The Netherlands vs. the Groningen earthquake area.................................................... 44 5.5 Psychological and emotional impacts ................................................................................... 44 5.5.1 Emotional impacts ......................................................................................................... 44 5.5.2 Impact on health ............................................................................................................ 45 5.5.3 Impact on close relationships ........................................................................................ 46 5.6 Overall experience ................................................................................................................ 46 6. Conclusions and discussion ........................................................................................................... 48 7. Reflection....................................................................................................................................... 51 8. Personal recommendation ............................................................................................................ 53 References ................................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix 1: Interview Guide....................................................................................................... 63 3 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Due to earthquakes occurring in the province of Groningen, the complete neighbourhood of Opwierde- Zuid in Appingedam needs to be renovated. Approximately 460 houses, of which the majority rental houses, must be either reinforced or demolished and reconstructed with earthquake resistant constructions and materials (Nationaal Coördinator Groningen, 2017). The earthquakes are a result of gas extraction activities by the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) (Van der