Improving Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction Outcomes in the Global South: A Framework for Achieving Greater Beneficiary Satisfaction through Effective Community Consultation

Troy Capell,Iftekhar Ahmed

doi:10.3390/buildings11040145

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to examine the community consultation practices carried out by implementing agencies when managing post-disaster housing reconstruction (PDHR) projects, identify the obstacles they face, and evaluate the effect these obstacles have on the quality of information obtained in relation to achieving a high level of beneficiary satisfaction. The aim was to develop a framework for community consultation in PDHR, which ensures that the needs of beneficiaries are more accurately reflected in the housing produced. A qualitative research methodology was adopted with data first being obtained through a literature review of relevant publications and implementing agency reports as a means of establishing common themes among community consultation practices and identifying indicators that influence beneficiary satisfaction. This was followed by a case study analysis to further an understanding of how these indicators were affected by the community consultation practices undertaken in a real-world context. The results of the research indicate that community consultation often forms a central role in the planning and delivery of PDHR projects, however, despite the implementing agencies’ best intentions, there are often obstacles that prevent the process from achieving the desired result. The community consultation framework proposed here has been developed to address the identified obstacles with the aim of ensuring that beneficiary requirements are included in housing design as a means of improving the level of beneficiary satisfaction in the housing provided.

Highlights

As the scale, frequency, and severity of disasters continue to increase, there is a real need to improve the process by which housing is delivered to disaster-affected communities [1,2]
The information obtained from the above case studies further reinforces the importance of including beneficiary requirements in house design through effective community consultation in order to achieve a high level of beneficiary satisfaction
This helps provide the new settlement with the feel of a village rather than the barracks-type layout associated with traditional standardized housing design

Summary

Introduction

Frequency, and severity of disasters continue to increase, there is a real need to improve the process by which housing is delivered to disaster-affected communities [1,2]. Nowhere is this more evident than the continent of Asia [3], which often bears the brunt of the world’s disasters due largely to its size, geographical features, and high population density in areas facing disaster risks, the effects of which are often exacerbated by the vulnerable conditions in which a large proportion of the population lives. The findings presented here have been determined as a result of fundamental cultural and economic conditions specific to Asia, the framework developed as a result of this research could offer valuable lessons for the practical application of community consultation in all regions of the world when adapted to suit PDHR in a similar context

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Conclusion