Study of a Simulation to Solve Difficulties of Commuters Stranded in Underground Spaces in Umeda and the Surrounding Areas at the Time of a Disaster

The authors are studying the underground spaces around Osaka Station with an emphasis on “utilization of underground spaces with improved safety and security, focusing on the area around Umeda.” What prompted us to delve into this topic was the large number of commuters stranded in Tokyo due to the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in March 2011 and the effective use of underground space for temporary accommodations. In the Umeda district of Osaka, it is estimated that any major earthquake will result in about 80,000 people having to stay outdoors (including stranded commuters, those who are unable to walk home and have no place to stay in company offices or schools) but there are insufficient areas for temporary accommodations that can house this many people. In view of this present state, we have been investigating to see if the underground spaces existing in and around. This year, we have used Whity Umeda as a model area to verify the types of phenomena that might occur and the types of responses that would be required if stranded commuters were sheltered in the event of a disaster from the viewpoint of the manager of the underground space. We also conducted a study for the purpose of identifying the problems with the present situation and the issues to work on in the future. This paper describes the results of the study.