One of the most popular approaches developed after some of the more recent disasters is the notion of ‘building back better’. Indeed, policy makers and humanitarian agencies consider that reconstruction is an opportunity to reduce the vulnerability of affected communities by relocating their settlements in safer sites, introducing new building technologies, up-dating building codes, and by enhancing (through multiple strategies) people’s disaster preparedness. However, research-based evidence shows that the outcomes of such risk reduction strategies are mixed and depend on a number of contextual factors. Within the framework of this theme the conference aims at: gathering research-based evidence on technical, institutional, socio-economic and cultural factors affecting the outcome of different reconstruction strategies; at linking the analysis of approaches to post-disaster reconstruction with disaster risk reduction; and at triggering a debate between policy makers, professionals and academics on related subjects.

In the new urban millennium, natural and human disasters are likely to have their greatest impact on cities, where more than half of the humanity currently resides. The impact of disasters in urban areas is potentially greater for a number of reasons due to high population densities, large sections of poor people living in informal and highly vulnerable settlements, insecure tenure arrangements, shortage of land, and the severe socioeconomic impacts of the disruption of essential services. Whereas there are a growing number of publications indicating the benefits of participatory and owner-driven reconstruction, these primarily refer to experiences from rural reconstruction programs, where social networks are stronger, tenure insecurity is a minor issue, and building technologies are less complex. The conference aims at consolidating knowledge and experience on reconstruction in urban areas and at triggering a debate on salient concerns peculiar to vulnerabilities, hazard risks, housing issues and reconstruction challenges in urban areas.

The devastating effects of disasters on the built environment, and the impacts that poorly built buildings have on losses of human lives often reinforce the idea that housing designs and technologies must be modified to achieve hazard resilience. Unfortunately, this criterion, while important, often takes on too much importance in the selection of designs and building technologies, at the expense of environmental, economic, social, cultural, institutional, and technical factors. Ignoring or making the wrong decisions about these factors largely reduces the chances of satisfying the needs of the concerned stakeholders and the long-term sustainability of the solutions. These considerations call for the need to analyse the appropriateness of specific housing designs and technologies with reference to local climatic conditions, vernacular architecture, culture, housing typologies and building practices. Considering the high environmental impact of the building sector in general, it is also important to focus on opportunities and challenges to repair or retrofit partially damaged houses as opposed to demolishing them. The promotion of sustainable building technologies following a disaster thus requires effective instruments for conducting ex-ante environmental and social impact assessments. The conference aims not only at stimulating a debate on sustainable reconstruction technologies, but also at contributing to a conceptual and methodological advancement in assessing the environmental and social impacts of housing designs and building technologies.

The impact of post-disaster reconstruction on affected communities’ livelihoods and on their resilience to future disasters cannot be analysed immediately after the reconstruction period is over. Yet, much research draws conclusions about the appropriateness of various reconstruction approaches based on research carried out during or shortly after their implementation. Significantly less attention has been given to the long-term changes triggered by reconstruction, and on whether the vulnerability of the concerned communities to eventual future disasters is indeed mitigated. By inviting research-based papers on the long-term impact of disaster responses the conference aims at filling this gap. Within the framework of this session the main conference organizers will also have the opportunity to share the findings of their on-going research project on long-term impacts of reconstruction programs in India with the international scientific community, policy makers, and professionals.

This theme addresses a major concern of the conference organizers about the importance of closing the gap between theory and practice by making scientific research more relevant to decision makers and agencies involved in post-disaster reconstruction and risk reduction. This requires building bridges and enabling a dialogue between academics and professionals, particularly in relating decision- making processes with access to pertinent and reliable information. The conference intends to achieve this goal by calling for contributions focusing on this theme, by inviting a number of keynote speakers from prominent agencies involved in post-disaster reconstruction to participate in the conference and by organizing workshops of discussion and a panel debate on this subject.

Dr. Jennifer Duyne Barenstein (conference chair)
University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland
www.worldhabitat.supsi.ch


Prof. Colin Davidson
Emeritus Professor of Architecture
University of Montreal, Canada
www.arc.umontreal.ca

Dr. Rohit Jigyasu
UNESCO Chair Professor
Research Centre for Disaster Mitigation of Urban Cultural Heritage
Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
www.rits-dmuch.jp/en/index.html

Dr. Cassidy Johnson
Development Planning Unit
University College of London
www.ucl.ac.uk

Prof. Gonzalo Lizarralde
School of Architecture and Director of Grif
University of Montreal
www.grif.umontreal.ca/

Dr. David Alexander
Professor, Institute for Risk and Disaster Management
University College of London

Dr. Camillo Boano
Senior Lecturer and Director of the MSc Building and Urban Design in Development, Development Planning Unit,
University College of London

Dr. Lee Bosher
Senior Lecturer - Disaster Risk Reduction
Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
Loughborough University, England

Dr. David F. Brown
Associate Professor- School of Urban Planning, McGill University,
Montreal, Canada

Dr. Christopher R. Bryant
Professor, Department of Geography -University of Montreal
Canada

Dr. JC Gaillard
Associate Professor - School of Environment
The University of Auckland
New Zealand

Dr. Mehran Gharaati
Assistant Professor,
Chair of Faculty, Departement of Architecture,
Art University of Isfahan, Iran

Dr. Makarand Hastak
Professor and Head
Construction Engineering and Management
Purdue University, USA

Dr. Esther Leemann
Senior Lecturer and Researcher
Institute of Social Anthropology,
University of Luzern, Switzerland

Dr. Michal Lyons
Professor of Urban Development and Policy
ISSR Graduate School Director and Coordinator of the International Development,
Emergencies and Refugees Research Group (IDEARS)
London South Bank University

Dr. Jason von Meding
Lecturer of Construction Management
Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland UK.

Dr. Anthony Oliver-Smith
Emeritus Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Florida

Dr. Regan Potangaroa
Associate Professor
School of Architecture UNITEC
Auckland, New Zealand

Dr. Wamsler, Christine
Associate Professor, Centre for Sustainability Studies, (LUCSUS)
Lund University, Sweden

Dr. Clive Warren
Associate Professor - Property & Project Management
UQ Business School, University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia