From research to practice (and vice versa) for post-disaster settlement and shelter

Abstract

Shelter Projects (2008 -IFRC/UN-Habitat/UNHCR and 2009 -IFRC/UN-Habitat) are two books aiming to consolidate some of the lessons from post-disaster settlement and shelter case studies, spanning over 60 projects from 1945 to the present. This paper analyses many of these case studies in order to reflect on how research and practice could be better connected for postdisaster settlement and shelter. The analysis reveals that challenges exist in compiling comparative and credible data, especially due to research needs diverging from operational needs. Methodological reflections on post-disaster settlement and shelter research are provided, using occupancy rates as a key indicator and example of the challenges faced. The main lessons provided relate to timelines. Emergency shelter programmes usually take many months, or in some cases years, to implement fully, meaning that their time frame tends to exceed that of media and donor interest. Meanwhile, research needs more longitudinal studies to provide long-term policy and practice lessons. Overall, providing disaster-affected populations with support so that they can identify and meet their own post-disaster settlement and shelter needs is the main lesson that emerges from both research and operational experience.

Post-Sidr public housing assistance in Bangladesh: a case study

“…The above discussion rejects housing simply as a structure, rather considers this as a verb, a process, which takes account of the community, the occupant's livelihoods and wider environment (Davis, 1978;Kelman et al, 2011;Kennedy et al, 2008;Turner, 1972).…”

“…In addition, we also argue that housing is not just a building and object, but is also about people living in it, its livability, strength of the structure, its occupants' livelihoods, and surrounding environment as a whole (Davis, 1978;Kelman, Ashmore, Leon, & D'Urzo, 2011;Kennedy, Ashmore, Babister, & Kelman, 2008;Turner, 1972). Our findings will provide valuable insights regarding the problems associated with the implementation of post-cyclone public housing programmes in Bangladesh.…”

Need for adaptation: transformation of temporary houses

“…Yet, there are not many studies of such activity in the medium and long term. One reason for this could be that those involved in post‐disaster relief and recovery generally do not return to past project sites to conduct evaluations of the long‐term impact of early post‐disaster programmes, so it is unusual to see what happens to temporary structures and transitional shelters over time (Kelman et al, ; Doninger, ). Exceptions are the case studies compiled in Still Standing.…”

Assessing the impact of household participation on satisfaction and safe design in humanitarian shelter projects

“…Specifically, despite a strong foundation that supports a dynamic, non‐linear understanding of recovery processes in the realm of disaster literature (see, for example, Smith and Wenger, 2006), the importance of when participation occurs during recovery has largely been neglected, and few studies have investigated shelter recovery in a longitudinal manner (Snarr and Brown, 1980, 1982, 1994). Hence, there is a need to contextualise the use of participation within longitudinal studies to understand how involvement during planning, design, and construction influences shelter outcomes (Peacock, Dash, and Zhang, 2007; Kelman et al, 2011). To meet this need, the study focuses on identifying types of participation across post‐disaster shelter project phases, and assessing the impact of this participation on the shelter outcomes of household satisfaction and shelter design.…”