Housing adjustment to handle natural hazards : proactive urban development planning for an effective response to natural hazards and to "build back better" in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction - on the case of Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Natural hazards, including climatological, meteorological, hydrological, and geophysical hazards can have a devastating impact on human life, the built environment, urban development, and economy. A lack of money and resources, inadequate planning laws and regulations as well as a lack of effective monitoring strategies, are reasons why people in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the impact of natural hazards. In many cases, there is a lack of information and knowledge about what can be done to appropriately adjust housing, comprising the immediate physical environment, both within and outside of buildings where people live, and which serve as a shelter from external influences. The present thesis investigates the need for pre-disaster housing adjustment strategies as a necessary contribution of urban development planning at a local level. This was achieved through systematic interviews and field studies in the post disaster study area Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Two instruments for pre-disaster planning are introduced: ‘Proactive urban development planning as pre-disaster protection’, a systematic risk management approach, before a disaster strikes as part of the everyday planning process; and a ‘reconstruction template’ to prepare for the worst-case scenario. With these two instruments, not only the quality of reconstruction projects can be improved but, in long-term urban development planning, housing can be adjusted to natural hazards. This approach is based on the UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction) Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and forms a bridge between post-disaster reconstruction and long-lasting urban development.