Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
11 Space and place after
natural disasters and forced
displacement
Roger Zetter and Camillo Boano
Post-disaster reconstruction initiatives often concentrate on building houses. They
rarely focus on recuperating a sense of domestic and public space and place that is
crucial for the long-term recovery of affected populations. The result exacerbates the
feelings of loss and deprivation among survivors who could beneficially be enabled
to contribute to the decision-making processes concerning their built environment,
their spaces and places.
Disasters are well known for causing or exacerbating homelessness. Less
known is the fact that they also provoke the emergence of what many
analysts call 'placelessness' (a term often used to describe the loss of the
sense of place). Previous chapters of this topic have already explained
that post-disaster interventions often neglect important cultural and social
characteristics that are embedded in indigenous housing, such as housing
layouts, the design of external spaces (and the sense of place they create)
and attributes of the built environment related to location. Unfortunately,
inappropriate outcomes frequently increase or reproduce pre-disaster vulner-
abilities, constituting unsustainable resettlement strategies.
This chapter argues that space and place are rarely recreated in responses
to forced displacement - such as often occurs with post-disaster reconstruc-
tion (but it is also applicable to post-conflict displacement). It provides a
comprehensive understanding of the complexity of needs associated with
space and place, as well as their symbolic and socio-cultural specificity in
post-disaster environments. This study shows that sustainable post-disaster
reconstruction requires: (i) a coherent understanding of space and place;
(ii) a clear articulation of the processes linking relief, rehabilitation and
development in the production of space and place; (iii) the consideration of
institutional constraints at the national and international levels to achieve
integrated responses; and (iv) the recognition of rights-based approaches to
the articulation of space and place.
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