Modeling the effects of labor on housing reconstruction: A system perspective

Abstract

The quick recovery and rebuilding of the housing stock after disaster (natural or man-made) is critical for an affected region, from the socio-economic perspective. The recovery efforts demand a considerable amount of time and resources. An efficient emergency management response system needs to be designed, with the intention of allowing a smooth post disaster reconstruction operation. This paper seeks to analyze the impacts of a disaster on labor for housing recovery and rebuilding of a devastated region. A System Dynamics (SD) model is proposed to mimic and explore the issue of labor force (namely, construction workers) management. The model describes the behavior of labor in the housing restoration process. It provides insights on the interactions between the labor force and the housing inventory management.