Disaster Management and Resilience in Building Construction/Re-Construction

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2016) | Viewed by 20757

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
Interests: lessons learned and good practice sharing for disaster resilience; knowledge factors for managing disasters; community-based post-disaster housing reconstruction; vulnerability and preparedness of critical infrastructure

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Guest Editor
Urban Resilience and Adaptation, Centre for Disaster Resilience, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK
Interests: community resilience; adapting SMEs acommunity resilience; adapting SMEs against flooding; preparedness measures to improve urban resilience and adaptation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters have resulted in severe disruptions of built-environment facilities. As such, there is an evident increase in human and property losses from disaster events over the past few decades. Every year, a significant number of houses are destroyed and damaged by natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, landslides, and cyclones. Buildings are becoming more vulnerable to disasters due to the growing population and their inherent features, such as location specificity, immobility, durability, and stability. However, the protective characteristics of buildings offer an important means by which humanity can reduce the risk posed by hazards, thereby preventing destruction. The need to reduce disaster vulnerability from buildings, new and existing, is becoming increasingly important. How buildings are designed and built, and where they are located, is critical to their ability to withstand different types of natural or man-made hazards. However, this entails a multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary effort from all stakeholders in the construction industry.

The Special Issue editors aim to investigate the latest understanding on disaster resilience in building construction/re-construction by inviting new research within the field. Papers are sought concerning (but not limited to) the capacity building needs for disaster mitigation and reconstruction; disaster risk identification techniques and risk reduction measures; the effects of improved collaboration within stakeholders; best practices and lessons learned from disaster reconstruction and new construction projects; ways and effects of community engagement and participation in housing reconstruction process; and social and cultural impact of housing new and reconstruction. Papers that span the technical and social disciplines, and highlight the interdisciplinary nature of disaster resilience are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Chaminda Pathirage
Prof. Dr. Bingunath Ingirige
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • natural and man-made hazards
  • building
  • risk reduction
  • mitigation measures
  • capacity building
  • best practices and lessons learned
  • construction and reconstruction
  • socio-cultural impacts
  • adaptation
  • resilience

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

2084 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Measures for Managing Issues in Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction
by Abdulquadri Ade Bilau, Emlyn Witt and Irene Lill
Buildings 2017, 7(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7020029 - 28 Mar 2017
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 8789
Abstract
After large scale disasters, reconstruction is often initiated by stakeholders to minimize disaster impacts and to mitigate a recurrence. For most reconstruction programmes, priority is given to reconstruction of permanent housing in consideration of the multiplying effects of housing reconstruction on social and [...] Read more.
After large scale disasters, reconstruction is often initiated by stakeholders to minimize disaster impacts and to mitigate a recurrence. For most reconstruction programmes, priority is given to reconstruction of permanent housing in consideration of the multiplying effects of housing reconstruction on social and economic recovery and the development of community resilience. However, numerous challenges arise during implementation which have reportedly been poorly managed and this has resulted in the ineffectiveness of housing reconstruction programmes and the failure of housing interventions to achieve their intended goals. In previous, related research, the issues affecting the implementation of housing reconstruction programmes were identified and a conceptual framework proposed. This study systematically reviews the academic literature, case studies and working papers in order to identify measures that have been applied by managers of reconstruction programmes to overcome these previously identified issues. The measures identified will be used to develop the previously proposed conceptual framework and thus to enable data collection through an experts’ opinion survey. Findings from the experts’ opinion survey will, in turn, be used to deduce best practice measures for managing permanent housing reconstruction programmes. This study is intended to aid policy making by providing stakeholders with good practice measures for managing issues in post-disaster housing reconstruction. In addition, it improves the knowledge base by presenting current housing reconstruction management practices and recommending how they can be improved for better community recovery and resilience building after large-scale disasters. Full article
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249 KiB  
Article
Family Structures, Relationships, and Housing Recovery Decisions after Hurricane Sandy
by Ali Nejat, Zhen Cong and Daan Liang
Buildings 2016, 6(2), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6020014 - 1 Apr 2016
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6432
Abstract
Understanding of the recovery phase of a disaster cycle is still in its infancy. Recent major disasters such as Hurricane Sandy have revealed the inability of existing policies and planning to promptly restore infrastructure, residential properties, and commercial activities in affected communities. In [...] Read more.
Understanding of the recovery phase of a disaster cycle is still in its infancy. Recent major disasters such as Hurricane Sandy have revealed the inability of existing policies and planning to promptly restore infrastructure, residential properties, and commercial activities in affected communities. In this setting, a thorough grasp of housing recovery decisions can lead to effective post-disaster planning by policyholders and public officials. The objective of this research is to integrate vignette and survey design to study how family bonds affected rebuilding/relocating decisions after Hurricane Sandy. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate respondents’ family structures before Sandy and explore whether their relationships with family members changed after Sandy. The study also explores the effect of the aforementioned relationship and its changes on households’ plans to either rebuild/repair their homes or relocate. These results were compared to another multinomial logistic regression which was applied to examine the impact of familial bonds on respondents’ suggestions to a vignette family concerning rebuilding and relocating after a hurricane similar to Sandy. Results indicate that respondents who lived with family members before Sandy were less likely to plan for relocating than those who lived alone. A more detailed examination shows that this effect was driven by those who improved their relationships with family members; those who did not improve their family relationships were not significantly different from those who lived alone, when it came to rebuilding/relocation planning. Those who improved their relationships with family members were also less likely to suggest that the vignette family relocate. This study supports the general hypothesis that family bonds reduce the desire to relocate, and provides empirical evidence that family mechanisms are important for the rebuilding/relocating decision-making process. Full article
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