Media coverage and rebuilding in two neighborhoods in the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

This mixed-methods study examined two neighborhoods in San Francisco with similar earthquake-induced ground failure history -- the Marina District and the South of Market Area (SoMa) -- in the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. The research explored differences in their recovery processes, including the potential impact of uneven coverage in newspaper media, and different pre-earthquake socioeconomic conditions and building types. Despite findings that the Marina was mentioned more frequently in news media coverage than SoMa, disproportionate to the ratio of damaged buildings between the two regions, socioeconomic processes of rebuilding may better explain how the geography of these neighborhoods shaped the earthquake recovery experience.