Time and again we witness how
cities across the world are increasingly being
affected by disasters particularly in the
developing world. The amount of death and
destruction could be attributed to the
concentration of large populations in small
geographical areas. Unfortunately, the most
vulnerable are the millions of urban poor who
live in slum areas and danger zones.
Blaikie at al (2003) presented
the Pressure and Release (PAR) model that shows
vulnerability as a social product of a chain of
factors. Dynamic processes and activities
“channel” root causes to produce unsafe
conditions which are specific expressions of
vulnerability in time and space in relation to a
specific hazard. Disaster is the result of the
intersection of two opposing forces –
vulnerability and the occurrence of hazards. To
reduce vulnerability by a significant degree
means having to go down the progressive chain to
“release” dynamic pressures and even address the
underlying causes.
One of the essential aspects of
urban disaster reduction is ensuring safer
housing and shelter, capable of withstanding the
forces inflected due to hazard events. Few
countries in the developing world have
appropriate construction regulations for
specific potential hazards that occur within the
city and the strength specifications of building
materials often do not take into consideration
potential disaster impacts. Addressing this
situation requires a thorough understanding of
the social, political and economic processes
that create the city’s vulnerability to
disasters, and then employing a holistic
approach to guide people’s choices and actions
towards disaster risk reduction.
On the other hand, post-disaster
housing reconstruction has undergone an
evolution of thought. While previously this
sector was understood mainly in terms of
temporary shelter before the reconstruction of
permanent housing, this has recently been
widened to include the “transitional settlement
approach” that integrates other sectors such as
water, education and economic and social
“livelihoods” (Shelter after Disaster:
Guidelines for Assistance, 2006). This change
was due to the experience in providing shelter
during complex emergencies involving
post-disaster and post-conflict situations. This
approach contains elements of the PAR model that
could increase the likelihood of sustainability
of the settlement and reduce the vulnerability
of the community.
Using the PAR model as its
conceptual framework, this networking event will
focus on the issue of how to effectively address
the shelter needs of the urban poor from the
context of disaster mitigation and response. The
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)
present case studies of its successful
experiences in urban disaster risk management
through a combination of approaches: disaster
mitigation planning, community-based disaster
risk management and mainstreaming risk reduction
into the formal urban planning processes. The
ADPC initiatives along this line in Vietnam
(typhoon and floods) and Pakistan (earthquake)
as specific cases.
On the other hand, the work of
Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) in
disaster response has progressed towards a broad
shelter framework that integrates three main
elements: on-site reconstruction, strategic
donor coordination and community-based disaster
response. The mobile Habitat Resource Centers (HRC)
has also proven to be an effective vehicle to
carry out its disaster intervention strategy.
Habitat will draw lessons from its global
experiences of providing shelter to disaster
victims in urban areas, both from the developed
and developing world. These cases include HFHI’s
disaster responses in Hurricane Katrina in the
US, earthquake in Yogyakarta (Indonesia), urban
fire disaster in Manila and victims of the
recent political conflict in Lebanon. HFHI will
also show how it transitions from disaster
response to long-term development.
The session will synthesize these
experiences using the Pressure and Release model
to effectively address the needs of the poor for
safe shelter within the context of urban
disaster risk.
