Wherever you live there is always the risk of an earthquake. If you live in the city the risk of death is even higher because the building could topple over. This new method of construction makes buildings flexible so they can withstand an earthquake. This new method of construction also will save a lot of money because buildings will not be destroyed. This new system survived a simulated magnitude 7 earthquake larger than the Northridge (in the Los Angeles area) earthquake in 1994. Greg Deierlein led the project at Stanford University, and their new system is practical because it uses common construction materials and is not too costly. This new system uses flexible steel tendons that shake the building with the earthquake to prevent damage and help the building to back to its original form. It also has fuses that break during an earthquake so the building is no longer held down to it's foundation to further prevent damage. The best part is it can be installed to a preexisting building so no new buildings need to be made.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/090908-earthquake-buildings.html