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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13042104/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This document outlines the relationship between the architecture profession and humanitarian shelter responses. It presents major themes and challenges facing the sector, offering suggestions on how build-environment professionals can address these by offering expertise and reforming practices to fit the needs of local communities recovering from disaster. As the number of humanitarian responses to “natural” disasters has increased in conjunction with a rise in the frequency and magnitude of these tragedies, one element of these responses that is gradually being recognized as critical is the shelter component. Through interviews with twelve expert practitioners, the document highlights existing practices within the field, the roles of shelter practitioners, and more specifically, the current function of architects. The authors begin by exposing the lack of clarity around the shelter concept. On the one had, shelter can mean a canopy or tent to keep people from bearing the full brunt of natural elements after losing their homes in a disaster, while on the other hand, it can mean the process of transitioning from an emergency situation to sustainable housing and livelihoods. Also important in the shelter concept is understanding that it involves more than simply the construction of housing. Humanitarian shelter responses require a holistic consideration of the needs of the population being assisted. Thus shelter responses intersect with issues such as governance, politics, livelihoods, ownership, participation, enablement, etc. These two points are important in understanding the many reforms that need to occur within the sector to make it more effective. The authors conclude that the aid community needs to improve consistency between emergency relief and durable solutions. For the shelter sector, this means establishing realistic time frames, and moving away from short-term fixes that satisfy donor requirements but ignore fundamental development needs. This also entails building relationships with affected communities, acknowledging their vulnerabilities, incorporating their capacities in recovery strategies, and helping build capacity where needed. Institutional learning within the sector can be improved by moving away from reliance on consultants towards establishing permanent professional built-environment staff, and formal accreditation standards. And lastly, architectural training needs to be reworked to fit the context of humanitarian crises, so that architects are more willing to engage with communities and incorporate their local knowledge into solutions. ( English )
- Subject:
- Transitional Shelters ( English )
- Citation/Reference:
- Cage, C., Hingorani, D., Jopling, S., Parker, E. (2009). Building relevance: post-disaster shelter and the role of the building professional. International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) at Oxford Brookes University.
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